Margao BJP leader presses for purge of 'bogus' voters

MARGAO
Senior BJP leader and former Margao Mandal block president Chandan Nayak has dashed off a letter to the Chief Electoral Officer with a request to delete bogus votes from Margao during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
He also made a plea to the election officials to send a clear-cut message and warning to the Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to carry out the SIR exercise without coming under pressure from politicians.
Expressing his full support for the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) being carried out in Goa, he said the exercise is very important for keeping the electoral roll clean, correct, and free from bogus, fake, and illegal voters. “A proper and accurate voter list is necessary to protect the purity and sanctity of elections,” he added.
Chandan claimed that after the Special Intensive Revision was announced and the process began, he started receiving phone calls from people of Margao, especially party workers, well-wishers, and BJP supporters, asking for help in filling the forms and checking the names in the old voters’ list for the 31-Margao Constituency.
“During these discussions, they reminded me about the major exercise undertaken by the Bharatiya Janata Party, Margao Mandal, in the year 2006 to remove bogus voters from the roll. They said that many of those same names may still be in the Margao voters’ list, and that these individuals may again be getting enrolled in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision. I was also told that some BLOs may be involved and may be helping such bogus, fake, and illegal voters to get them verified and enrolled. I am only conveying what has been told to me by the people, and I am not in a position to verify these claims myself,” he stated in the letter.
He has demanded that the election officials follow a structured method to identify voters who are enrolled in more than one state, as well as those who remain on the 31-Margao Constituency voter roll without actually residing there. “Names that appear doubtful, particularly non-Goan voters enrolled after 2002, may be taken up for detailed scrutiny. Entries showing more than five voters in a small residential unit may be called for a hearing, and their residence may be verified through physical checks by a team consisting of Goa Police, BLOs, BLAs, and non-political persons,” he said.
He added: “Doubtful entries may also be identified by applying a practical assessment of house size for non-Goan voters enrolled after 2002. Any unusually high number of voters in a small house may be marked for verification.” Chandan further demanded that bulk voters showing doubtful or irregular house numbers be cross-checked with the Margao Municipal Council to confirm whether these numbers actually exist.
For example, he said if there are five voters listed under house number 100, and more voters under 100/A, 100/B, 100/C, or 100/1, 100/2, 100/3, these may be fake or irregular house numbers. “Such entries may indicate bogus, illegal, or fake voters. These cases should be verified carefully using proper checks with the Goa Police and other authorities. Physical verification of the residence may also be necessary to ensure that only genuine voters are included in the voter list. This process will help maintain the integrity of the electoral rolls and prevent illegal or bogus voting,” he added.