PANAJI
A preliminary inquiry ordered by the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Goa, has found no basis for allegations that voters were illegally transferred from Curtorim to Fatorda Assembly constituency, stating that the inclusion of 31 electors in the Fatorda electoral roll in 2017 followed the prescribed legal procedure.
The inquiry report states that the electors were included in Fatorda after their Form 6 applications seeking enrolment were processed and accepted during the Special Summary Revision (SSR) exercise in 2017.
It also notes that no political party has filed a Form 7 application seeking deletion of names from the Fatorda electoral roll since then, including during the recently concluded Special Intensive Revision (SIR).
The inquiry was initiated after Fatorda MLA and Goa Forward Party (GFP) president Vijai Sardesai lodged a complaint with the CEO’s office on October 16, alleging that more than 50 voters from Curtorim had been unlawfully shifted to Fatorda while retaining their original house numbers.
The preliminary inquiry report revisited records of the 2017 SSR exercise, when the GFP had similarly complained that 53 voters from Curtorim had been moved to Fatorda. While acknowledging that the 53 voters had earlier figured in the Curtorim electoral roll, the report states that 96 people submitted Form 6 applications seeking inclusion in the Fatorda electoral roll during the claims and objections period.
Of these, 31 applications were accepted by the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO), Fatorda, while the remaining applications were rejected. Consequently, the names of the 31 electors whose applications were accepted were deleted from the Curtorim electoral roll and included in Fatorda through a supplementary electoral roll. The report states that the available records indicate that the inclusion of these 31 electors in Fatorda was preceded by the submission and processing of Form 6 applications. Copies of the applications are available with the office of the ERO, Fatorda.
The inquiry also points out that no political party has submitted a Form 7 application seeking deletion of names from the Fatorda electoral roll since 2017. This includes the recently concluded SIR exercise, the report notes.
