Transfers of 34 officers amid SIR process spark concerns

PANAJI
The Goa government issued transfer orders for 34 mid-level officers late on Monday evening, just after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls was announced across 12 states and Union Territories, including Goa. The timing has raised concerns and could draw the attention of the Election Commission of India (ECI).
Opposition leaders have questioned the move and raised the issue during a meeting on Tuesday with the Goa Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Sanjay Goel, IAS.
Goel said he has noted the transfer order and will check if any of the 34 officers are Returning Officers or Assistant Returning Officers. If so, he said he will take the matter up with the government, as such changes could affect the SIR work.
Opposition parties have alleged that the BJP-led State government may be trying to influence the revision process by placing officers favourable to it. These concerns come at a time when some opposition parties nationally have criticised the SIR exercise as an attempt to weaken democratic processes before upcoming elections.
At Tuesday’s meeting at the CEO’s office in Altinho, the Congress was represented by GPCC president Amit Patkar, AAP by its vice-president Surel Tilve and the Goa Forward Party by its chief spokesperson Durgadas Kamat.
Goel stressed that the integrity of the electoral roll revision process is paramount and assured that the SIR exercise will be carried out strictly according to ECI guidelines and without political influence.
The SIR involves door-to-door verification and collection of voter data, with final electoral rolls expected to be published in February 2026. Because of this, the sudden transfer of officers ” particularly those who might be involved in verification ” has led to calls for transparency.
Among those transferred is Kaushik Amonkar, previously Under Secretary (Protocol), who has been posted as Deputy Collector and SDM of Ponda. If the order stands, he will serve as Returning Officer for the Ponda, Priol, Marcaim and Shiroda assembly constituencies during the SIR.
Meanwhile, Nehal Talaunekar, who was Deputy Collector and SDM of Bicholim with additional charge of Chief Officer of the Bicholim Municipal Council, has been retained only as Chief Officer. If the order holds, he will no longer oversee the SIR for Bicholim and Mayem constituencies.
Other officers in the list of 34 have also gained or lost SDM roles as per the order issued by Under Secretary (Personnel) Raghuraj Phaldesai.