NEW DELHI: Goa Forward Party (GFP) chief and Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai on Saturday alleged that Nepalese nationals had been added to the state’s electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, demanding an impartial and time-bound investigation into alleged irregularities.Addressing a press conference, Sardesai claimed that while some “invisible” voters had been added to the lists, eligible voters were finding their names missing.“Nepalese nationals have been added as voters in Goa during the SIR exercise. How can any foreign national be a part of India’s electoral roll?” he asked.Sardesai said voters needed to be made aware of the importance of checking their names in the electoral rolls, citing instances in his constituency where voters allegedly found their names deleted without their knowledge.Over 50 voters allegedly shifted between constituenciesSardesai said he had lodged a complaint with Goa’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), alleging that more than 50 voters had been illegally shifted from the Curtorim Assembly constituency to Fatorda despite their addresses remaining unchanged.In a complaint emailed on Friday, the former deputy chief minister sought an impartial and time-bound inquiry into the alleged irregularities.He claimed that several voters listed in Curtorim during the 2012 and 2017 Assembly elections appeared in Fatorda’s electoral rolls in 2022 and 2026.According to Sardesai, the alleged transfers raised concerns about the accuracy and integrity of electoral rolls, compliance with voter registration laws and constituency boundaries.
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Describing the alleged irregularities as “merely the tip of the iceberg”, he sought the CEO’s urgent intervention to investigate what he called a “deliberate attempt to manipulate electoral records”.Sardesai sought the deletion of entries found to have been illegally shifted, disciplinary action and criminal prosecution against those found responsible. He also called for a state-wide audit to determine whether similar irregularities had occurred in other constituencies.The allegations come amid protests by INDIA bloc parties and the Cockroach Janta Party seeking the removal of chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities and mass voter deletions during the SIR exercise.
