Goa Chief Electoral Officer clarifies row over 97 voters, says many now enrolled

The Goa Chief Electoral Officer on Thursday said there was no issue regarding the 97 voters who had been found eligible for inclusion in the electoral roll but were left out of the final roll published in February, saying those initially left out were subsequently covered through house-to-house surveys and the eligible voters were being enrolled.

Speaking on reports that the names of the 97 voters had not been added back, Goa CEO Sanjay Goel said representatives of the Congress party had met his office and submitted a memorandum, following which officials explained the details of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process to them.

"There is no issue regarding the '97' category; for those who were initially left out, we subsequently had BLOs conduct a door-to-door survey and collect Form 6 applications from them," Goel said.

He said Form 6 applications had already been collected from individuals who were available in March and April. "Now, if the remaining individuals are available, their Form 6 applications will also be collected, and their names will be added to the electoral roll."

Goel said there was still sufficient time before the elections for the remaining eligible voters to complete the process. "There is still time before the elections, so they will be able to get their names registered in time, cast their votes, and exercise their right to vote."

WHY WERE THE 97 VOTERS LEFT OUT?

The 97 voters had initially been flagged for logical discrepancies during the SIR. After being given an opportunity to submit documents and be heard, Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and Assistant EROs found them eligible for inclusion.

The Goa CEO's office had subsequently sought a rollback facility from the Election Commission so that the names could be restored before the final electoral roll was published on February 21. The facility was not enabled in time.

The Election Commission has since said that ECINet does not have a rollback provision once Form 7 is clicked for deletion.

The latest clarification from the Goa CEO indicates that voters who were initially left out were subsequently covered through a house-to-house exercise, with Form 6 applications collected from eligible individuals. Those whose applications have been processed have been added to the electoral rolls, while the remaining eligible individuals can still submit Form 6 applications.

Goel also said the mechanism for filing Form 6 applications and appeals remains available to eligible voters.

'SIR PROCESS WAS TRANSPARENT'

Goel also defended the conduct of the SIR, saying the process was carried out transparently and that meetings were held with representatives of political parties at every stage.

According to Goel, ASDD and logical discrepancy lists were displayed at polling stations.

He said more than seven months had passed since the final electoral rolls were issued and that the appeals received had been disposed of.

On the 97-name issue, Goel reiterated that those initially left out were subsequently covered through house-to-house surveys. Form 6 applications were filled for eligible persons, whose names were then added to the electoral rolls.

The CEO said the process remains open to eligible voters through Form 6 applications and appeals, providing them an avenue to ensure their names are included in the electoral roll ahead of the elections.

ECINET CONTROVERSY

The Goa episode has emerged as a key point in the wider controversy over ECINet and the powers of Electoral Registration Officers. Questions have been raised over whether the digital system gives EROs adequate control to reverse decisions relating to electoral rolls.

The Election Commission has maintained that EROs continue to have their statutory powers and "complete and unrestricted access" to ECINet, and that the platform is only a facilitating system.

The issue has also come amid objections reportedly raised by two Election Commissioners over aspects of the digital electoral-roll system and changes linked to Form 6.

The Goa CEO's latest clarification puts the focus on the subsequent door-to-door verification and Form 6 process, rather than treating the 97 voters as permanently excluded from the electoral process. The remaining question is the status of those eligible voters who have yet to submit their Form 6 applications and complete the enrolment process.