Panaji, Sep 25 (IANS) Goa Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Sanjay Goel on Friday denied reports that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state was “flawed”, asserting that the process was “completely transparent” and that a majority of the voters who were left out got their names back on the electoral rolls after filing Form 6.
This follows a media report claiming that the Goa CEO had written to the ECI eight times in seven days to include 97 voters “deleted” by the ECINet software.
Speaking to reporters, Sanjay Goel said: “Representatives of the Congress party have submitted a memorandum. We have explained to them that the entire SIR process has been carried out transparently.”
“In every state, meetings were held with political parties at CO and DO levels. All logical discrepancy lists were displayed at the polling stations. The final roll was also shared with the parties,” he said while adding that it has been seven months since the SIR exercise in the state was wrapped up.
The CEO added: “We had also disposed of the handful of appeals that were received. Apart from this, we didn’t receive any complaint from any political party. Even when the representatives of political parties were present (during the SIR process), they had not raised any objection.”
Reiterating that the process was extremely transparent, he mentioned: “Wherever needed, we were writing to the Election Commission for help…the process has been carried out with their support and teamwork.”
When asked about the 97 “deleted” voters, Goyal replied: “The Booth Level Officers later conducted a house-to-house survey for those who were left out (from the final electoral rolls) and made them fill Form 6. Those who were available and willing were made to fill Form 6 earlier as well, in March-April.”
“If those still left are available and willing, they can fill out Form 6, following which their names will also be included. They will be able to avail their voting rights,” the Goa CEO added.
Further, he denied any mistake in the state’s SIR process, saying: “There was always this mechanism to fill out Form 6 (whose names got deleted from the electoral rolls). So, it is nothing like a big mistake or blunder has been committed, or that someone’s voting right has been permanently snatched away.”
Sanjay Goel said that most voters who filled Form 6 have had their names added back to the electoral rolls in time to cast their votes.
Regarding the claims that eight mails were written to the ECI within a week, he called it a “process of communication”.
“There are clarifications sought by us and instructions sent by them (ECI). We also seek their (ECI’s) help in the process. All these keep happening,” Goel said.
–IANS
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