MARGAO
The controversial Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process has come back to haunt the authorities, with local Congress leaders taking up the issue with the party’s top leadership over what they call the “mass deletion of 1,39,634 voters in Goa during the 2025-26 SIR”.
Congress leader Savio Coutinho submitted evidence to Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge, seeking the intervention of the All India Congress Committee in the matter as he handed over a detailed representation.
Briefing Kharge, Coutinho stated that the SIR was misused to target traditional Congress and non-BJP voters.
With 1,39,634 names deleted from the electoral rolls during the SIR process and considering that 50 per cent of the deleted names were genuine voters, which averages 1,750 voters per constituency, Coutinho said this is enough to overturn results in Goa’s small seats.
He further drew the attention of the Congress High Command to the false and fabricated FIRs lodged against him for exposing BLO/ERO irregularities, saying RTI information from the Goa State Central Library proves the allegations to be false.
Alleging that BJP MLAs filed bulk objections without field verification, he said that genuine voters seeking restoration are being asked for “lease agreements” “ a document not mandated by the ECI.
While seeking urgent intervention with the ECI for a fresh Summary Revision in Goa before December 2026, Coutinho urged the party president to direct the AICC Legal Department to file a writ petition for the mass re-inclusion of genuinely deleted voters.
He has also called for the deputation of an AICC team to Goa to activate all 40 Block Committees for booth-level voter restoration.
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Sardesai attacks BJP over deleted voters in Fatorda
MARGAO: Goa Forward Party chief Vijai Sardesai has expressed serious concern over the deletion of approximately 4,500 voters from the electoral rolls of the Fatorda constituency under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.
He warned that his party would not stay silent on the deletion of voters, a claim that aligns with opposition allegations about mass deletions that could influence election outcomes in Goa’s constituencies.
While Sardesai said the response to the ongoing GFP membership drive has been overwhelming, with enthusiastic participation from across the State and many committed leaders joining the ranks, he, however, said, “Every self-respecting Goan needs a regional party to take Goa forward. Just because of the mess created by one regional party, we must not lose hope in others. Regionalism means being vocal for local. It is the only way forward.”
Launching a sharp attack on the BJP, Sardesai alleged that the ruling party has created a new system, now supported by the Supreme Court, through which the government decides who gets to vote. “Today, the BJP has turned things upside down. Before this, it was the voters who decided who would be in government. Now, the government will decide who should vote,” he asserted.
He further questioned the BJP’s approach, stating that the party’s high command sitting outside Goa cannot decide who is a true Goan. “We won't let this happen,” he declared.
