PANAJI
Goa’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Sanjay Goel, IAS, announced on Sunday that 2.2 lakh voters have been placed in a gray area as "unmapped" during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
These voters, though listed in the current 2025 rolls, lack corresponding mapping records in the 2002 SIR database finalised 23 years ago.
Goel explained that the anomaly arises because neither the voters nor their parents can be traced in the 2002 records.
“Their names will appear in the draft roll, but their citizenship status must be verified before inclusion in the final list,” he said.
The CEO outlined the procedure for the second phase of the SIR, which begins after the draft roll is published on December 15. Notices will be issued to all affected voters, specifying the date, time, and venue of hearings. At these hearings, individuals must produce proof of eligibility ” either a previous voter roll entry or one of the 13 documents approved by the Election Commission of India.
The District Returning Officer (DRO) will examine the submissions and decide whether the names should remain in the final electoral roll. Goel stressed that the verification process is critical to maintaining the integrity of the voter list.
If aggrieved by this decision, the voter has the option of filing an appeal before the CEO, he added.
“We want to ensure that every eligible citizen is included, but duplication or ineligible entries must be eliminated,” Goel added.
The exercise highlights the challenges of maintaining accurate electoral records in a State where migration and citizenship issues often complicate voter registration.
While the 2.2 lakh voters will not be excluded from the draft roll, their continued presence in the final list depends on successfully establishing eligibility during the hearings.
