PANAJI
The Election Commission’s latest draft electoral roll has thrown up a whopping 1,82,403 voters across Goa marked as “unmapped” – 73,235 names in North Goa and another 1,09,168 in South Goa – who now face the task of proving their citizenship before they can be officially counted in the final list.
So what exactly does “unmapped” mean? In simple terms, these are voters whose names do not appear in the post‑SIR electoral roll of 2002, nor do the names of their parents. And until they can establish their credentials, their place on the roll remains uncertain.
The numbers are eye‑catching. Vasco again tops the chart with 12,951 unmapped voters. The port town constituency had also topped the list for deletions – Absent, permanently shifted out of the State, dead or those with duplicate entries.
Next comes Dabolim with 11,211 unmapped and Cortalim with 10,776.
Margao (7,789), Fatorda (7,326), Curtorim (6,185), Ponda (6,025), Porvorim (5,952), and Mormugao (5,926) also feature prominently. Even constituencies like Taleigao, Thivim, Mapusa, Santa Cruz, Calangute, Saligao, and Aldona each have between 4,700 and 5,200 unmapped names.
But it’s not all heavy numbers. Some constituencies barely register on the unmapped radar. Mandrem for instance has just 1,330, while Sanguem (1,424), Pernem (1,933), Sanvordem (2,112), Nuvem (2,136), Benaulim (2,158), and St. Andre (2,340) are all on the lower side.
For now, all these names are included in the draft rolls. But each of these voters will soon receive a notice from the Election Commission – by December 20 – summoning them to a hearing before the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) or Assistant ERO of their constituency.
At that hearing, they’ll need to produce one of 13 specified documents to prove citizenship. Only then will their names be retained in the final roll.
The exercise, part of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), is aimed at cleaning up and tightening the electoral rolls ahead of future election cycles.
While the process may feel daunting for those affected, the ECI has stressed that it’s about ensuring transparency and credibility in the democratic system.
With 1.82 lakh voters waiting to clear the citizenship hurdle, the hearings will decide who ultimately makes it to Goa’s final electoral rolls.
