NEW DELHI: The Office of the Chief Electoral Officer of Goa on Thursday clarified the controversy surrounding 97 voters who were not included in the final electoral roll published in February 2026, saying the cases were subsequently processed through house-to-house visits and that many of the voters have since been enrolled.In a press note shared on X, the CEO’s office said the 97 cases were separately processed by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) for completion of Form 6, the application used for inclusion of names in the electoral roll.“Many have since been enrolled, while the remaining cases are being processed,” the office said, adding that no eligible elector would be left out.The clarification comes amid a controversy over the exclusion of the 97 voters following Goa’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
What happened to 97 voters
According to an Indian Express report, the 97 voters had initially been flagged during the SIR process for what the Election Commission described as “logical discrepancies” in the electoral database.These discrepancies could arise from issues such as mismatches while linking an elector to parents or grandparents in older electoral rolls.The affected voters were subsequently given an opportunity to submit documents and objections. In Goa, 649 electors came forward, following which Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and Assistant EROs examined their cases. Officials found 97 cases where the earlier decisions needed to be reversed and the voters were eligible for inclusion.
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However, the final electoral roll published on February 21, 2026, did not include the 97 names.
Software row at centre of controversy
The issue subsequently drew attention to the Election Commission’s ECINet electoral-roll software.According to an Indian Express investigation, the Goa CEO’s office sent eight communications between February 11 and 17 seeking a rollback or reversion facility that would allow the earlier deletion decisions to be reversed.The controversy has also triggered criticism from opposition parties, which have questioned the functioning and centralisation of the electoral-roll system.