CEO asks to contact BLOs, submit Form-7; warns of penal provisions for false declarations
PANAJI
The deadline set by the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Goa, for Goans who have acquired Portuguese or any other foreign nationality to apply for deletion of their names from the draft electoral rolls ends today, January 15.
As many as 8,000 Goans have surrendered their Indian citizenship or acquired other foreign nationality, including Portuguese, over the last five years. Regional Passport Officer Nijo Varghese said this data has been shared with the CEO, Goa, following a letter seeking details for the ongoing electoral revision process.
The notice has been issued under the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Electoral Rolls 2026 and asks such individuals to submit Form-7 without delay, as January 15 is also the last date for filing claims and objections. The notice also carries a warning of penal action in cases of false declaration.
“As per Section 16(1)(a) of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, a person shall be disqualified for registration in the electoral roll if he is not a citizen of India. As per Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act 1950 making false declaration in connection with preparation, revision or correction of electoral roll is punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year or with fine or both,” it said.
The CEO has advised affected citizens to contact their respective Booth Level Officers or call the toll-free helpline 1950 for assistance. At the end of the public notice, the CEO said the objective of the exercise is to ensure a transparent and error-free electoral roll ahead of the revision exercise.
As per the data by the ministry, 26,000 to 30,000 people in the State have surrendered their Indian passports since 2015. However, the numbers have dipped sharply in recent years. In 2022, only 1,265 people surrendered their Indian passports, compared to 2,835 in 2021 and about 3,500 to 4,100 surrenders recorded annually between 2015 and 2019. These figures do not include those who surrendered Indian citizenship before the Embassy.
Officials said the Passport Office currently receives seven to nine applications a day from applicants seeking to surrender Indian citizenship in favour of Portuguese nationality, with at least one in seven applications being revoked, while the remaining are accepted for surrender of citizenship.
