The controversy over bogus voters and irregularities in the electoral rolls continues to haunt Goa. The Goa Congress has now alleged fraudulent voter registrations in the Panjim Assembly constituency and demanded swift action from the Election Commission of India (ECI) against booth level officers (BLOs).
Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president Amit Patkar, accompanied by party office-bearers, conducted a physical verification at a house in Dempo Bhat, Tonca. They discovered that a certain Gomes family resides there, but surprisingly, four Nepali nationals were registered as voters at the same address despite not living there.
Patkar questioned the Election Commission on this blatant irregularity: “Can citizens of Nepal possess an Electoral Photo Identity Card (EPIC) and vote in our elections without acquiring Indian citizenship? If yes, under what legal provision? If not, how did these names enter the electoral rolls?”
Adding to the concern was the proximity of the booth level officer to the Gomes’ residence, as the BLO was found living barely 20 metres away from the apartment. Patkar warned that such fraudulent entries raise serious doubts about the integrity of the voter lists and suggest deliberate attempts to manipulate elections. “Free and fair elections are the foundation of our democracy, and such fake entries destroy public trust in the system,” he said.
He further announced that this is just the beginning, with the Congress planning to expose more discrepancies and fraudulent voters across the state. The GPCC president demanded that the ECI immediately investigate, remove bogus names, and take strict action against officials responsible for allowing these malpractices.
“The people of Goa deserve clean elections, not voter lists filled with ghost entries and foreign nationals,” Patkar asserted.