CM defends exercise; MLAs raise jurisdiction concerns
PANAJI
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Thursday told the Goa Legislative Assembly that the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls will help curb the misuse of multiple EPIC cards.
Replying to concerns raised by the Opposition MLAs, the CM admitted that some individuals possess more than one card and vote in different States, hence this exercise. “The issue is simple. Some people hold multiple EPIC cards and vote in more than one State. The SIR will help identify and eliminate such irregularities,” he said.
Sawant added that the SIR was not a new exercise and has been carried out 13 times in the past.
“The objective is ‘one citizen, one vote, and the removal of non-citizens from the electoral rolls. Aadhaar is not always a reliable indicator of nationality as it can be obtained by persons outside the country, which is why 13 documents have been prescribed to establish citizenship,” he said as the Calling Attention was tabled by MLA Sankalp Amonkar.
Replying to Amonkar, Sawant acknowledged concerns over delays in deleting the names of deceased voters. “The deletion of deceased voters is essential to keep the electoral roll accurate and up to date. Goa has 100 per cent registration of births and deaths,” he said, proposing that Registrars of Births and Deaths collect electoral details of the deceased from relatives at the time of death registration.
The CM also suggested Form 7 should be made an integral part of the death registration report and forwarded to District Collectors and election authorities to ensure timely deletions. “My Government will formulate a mechanism to ensure the timely deletion of names of deceased persons from the electoral roll,” Sawant told the House.
Amonkar, while appreciating the implementation of the SIR, flagged the continuing issue of names of deceased persons remaining on the rolls for long periods, despite deaths being officially registered. He said the government should consider a simplified and time-bound mechanism where the issuance of a death certificate automatically triggers the voter deletion process, supported by a tracking system and timely acknowledgements to families.
Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao raised concerns about the transparency of the SIR, stating that voters must be informed before any deletion, which is currently not happening. He called for clarity on required documents, proper objection and appeal mechanisms, and adherence to lawful procedures. “Democracy cannot function on assumptions or confusion,” Alemao warned.
MLA Carlos Ferreira objected to Amonkar’s Calling Attention, arguing that the Goa government has no jurisdiction to make provisions under Central Rules. “People are being wrongly deleted from the voting roll. The Election Commission and BLOs are not doing their job properly,” he said, warning that any automatic deletion mechanism without statutory backing could worsen wrongful removals.
GFP MLA Vijai Sardesai said there is no mechanism under the SIR to detect foreign nationals or duplicate voter registrations from other States. He cited the Goa Chief Electoral Officer’s statement and added that the government has already admitted that illegal migrants are not being detected.
