2 hrs ago
Goa Voter Exclusions Raise Questions Over ECINet Roll System
A report says 97 voters in Goa were approved by local election officers but were still missing from the final voter list.
Their names had earlier been flagged during a voter-roll checking exercise.
The local officers reportedly decided that the voters should be included after examining documents and objections.
However, the computer system called ECINet allegedly did not let officials undo the earlier deletions.
Goa officials reportedly sent eight emails asking for this ability before the final list was published.
Congress leaders said this showed that too much control had been moved to a central system.
They called for the affected voters’ names to be restored.
The Election Commission disputed claims that its members were divided.
It said all decisions about the revision were approved unanimously.
A report said 97 Goa voters found eligible by local EROs were absent from the final electoral roll.
The voters had been flagged during the Special Intensive Revision over alleged “logical discrepancies.”
Goa officials reportedly sent eight emails seeking a facility to reverse earlier deletion decisions.
Congress leaders accused the Election Commission of excessive centralisation and demanded corrective action.
The Election Commission rejected claims of a split, saying SIR-related decisions were taken unanimously.
- Who
- The 97 affected Goa voters, local Electoral Registration Officers, the Election Commission of India, and Congress leaders including Jairam Ramesh and Shashi Tharoor.
- What
- A report alleged that 97 voters found eligible for inclusion were left out of the final electoral roll because officials could not reverse earlier deletions in ECINet.
- Where
- Goa, India.
- When
- The final electoral roll was published on February 21; Goa officials reportedly sent requests between February 11 and 17, and the report said the names remained absent as of September 20.
- Why
- The reported exclusion was allegedly linked to limitations in ECINet that prevented officials from recording decisions to restore the voters’ names.
Opposition and Critics
Election Commission Position
Control over voter-roll changes
Opposition and Critics
Congress leaders argued that restricting local EROs’ access to ECINet excessively centralised the electoral-roll process and could prevent eligible voters from being restored.
Election Commission Position
The Election Commission has maintained that its SIR-related decisions were taken through the established process and approved unanimously; it disputed the broader interpretation of internal concerns.
Status of the 97 voters
Opposition and Critics
The report and Congress leaders described the voters’ continued exclusion after local officials found them eligible as a serious problem requiring corrective action.
Election Commission Position
The Goa Chief Electoral Officer, Sanjay Goel, said he did not have information about the specific case when questioned and would check his report before responding.
Internal disagreements within the Commission
Opposition and Critics
Reports and Opposition parties interpreted objections attributed to Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi as evidence of significant disagreement over electoral-roll systems and centralisation.
Election Commission Position
The Election Commission said differences of opinion and suggestions are normal in internal discussions and do not amount to a split in the three-member body.
Key facts
- Affected voters
- 97 voters were reportedly found eligible by local EROs but remained absent from the final roll.
- Final roll date
- The final electoral roll was published on February 21.
- Reported system
- ECINet was identified as the electoral-roll software involved in the dispute.
- Official requests
- The Goa Chief Electoral Officer’s office reportedly sent eight emails over seven days.
- Request period
- The emails were reportedly sent between February 11 and 17.
- Political response
- Congress leaders called for corrective action and criticized the Election Commission’s handling of electoral-roll systems.
- Election Commission position
- The Commission said differences in internal discussions did not constitute a split and that SIR decisions were unanimous.
Sources
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