Goa Forward Party Chief Alleges Illegal Voter Shifting Between Constituencies

Goa Forward Party leader and Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai has approached the state election office regarding the alleged unauthorized shifting of voters between assembly segments. He submitted a formal grievance by email to Goa Chief Electoral Officer Sanjay Goel on Friday.

The Allegations

Sardesai stated that more than 50 voters from the Curtorim assembly segment were unlawfully moved to the electoral list for Fatorda while keeping their original house numbers intact. According to his submission, these individuals voted in Curtorim during the general elections of 2012 and 2017 but appeared on Fatorda's rolls for 2022 and 2026. He warned that this situation threatens the accuracy of voter databases and bypasses rules set by the Representation of the People Act of 1950, the Registration of Electors Rules of 1960, and guidelines from the Election Commission of India. He also provided lists comparing voter names from Curtorim rolls in 2012 and 2017 with Fatorda rolls in 2021 and 2026.

Demands and Official Response

Describing this issue as a small part of a larger problem, Sardesai urged the election office to remove the shifted voter entries immediately. He also called for criminal cases and departmental inquiries against anyone found guilty of altering records, alongside a statewide audit to check for similar incidents elsewhere. In response, Goa Chief Electoral Officer Sanjay Goel stated that his office will examine the grievance and order a probe through the district election officer.

Context

Electoral rolls are official lists of registered voters eligible to cast ballots in a specific constituency, and strict legal boundaries govern where a citizen is registered based on their ordinary place of residence. Maintaining clean voter lists is essential for free and fair elections, which is why electoral authorities investigate claims of unauthorized record changes.