The Opposition parties in Goa Friday raised concerns regarding the timing of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Goa, claiming the process, being conducted simultaneously with the zilla panchayat elections scheduled for December 13, would jeopardise the free and fair conduct of the polls.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Goa in-charge and former Delhi chief minister Atishi said the party met the Election Commission of India Friday to flag their concerns over the SIR process, taking place at a time of local body polls in the state.
“The SIR process has begun in Goa and the draft roll is scheduled to be released on December 9. But it is a matter of concern for us that the zilla panchayat elections are also happening in Goa during this time,” she said.
The zilla panchayat election is on December 13.
“In 2-3 days, the Model Code of Conduct will come into effect. So naturally, when elections are underway, the entire machinery of all political parties will be involved in the election process and campaign and no political party will have the time to monitor or oversee the SIR process. Therefore, it is a matter of concern as to why both these processes are being conducted simultaneously in Goa,” she said.
“The zilla panchayat elections could have been conducted three weeks later or the SIR process could have started three weeks later. What was the urgency to conduct both simultaneously with the same election machinery in such haste in Goa?” Atishi said.
AAP said the decision, unless reviewed, can jeopardise the free and fair conduct of the zilla parishad elections scheduled in the same period. The party also said it is deeply concerned that the SIR guidelines provide for no process or clarity for citizens whose names have been excluded from the draft roll.
In a letter to the Election Commission of India on Friday, AAP National Secretary Pankaj Gupta, said, “We appeal to the Election Commission’s sense of reason and its constitutional commitment to amend the guidelines and provide for clear remedies for those citizens whose names are excluded from the draft roll and to ensure that the SIR exercise and zilla parishad elections are not conducted at the same time, but one after the other.”
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Senior Goa Congress leader Girish Chodankar said the timing and intent behind these simultaneous processes appear “politically motivated and deeply suspicious.”
“Goa deserves free, fair and transparent elections…not a manipulated revision process hidden under the shadow of local polls. The Model Code of Conduct for the zilla parishad elections will come into effect shortly. When the entire administrative machinery and political parties will be busy with the zilla parishad elections, who will monitor the SIR process? How can transparency and fairness be ensured when oversight by parties and observers becomes practically impossible?”
