The issue of suspected voter manipulation , or ‘vote chori’ — is snowballing across Goa, with allegations of bogus entries surfacing in multiple constituencies. The Margao Block Congress Committee has accused the Election Commission of serious irregularities in the voter list for Part No 15 of the Margao constituency, specifically in the Azad Nagar area.
Margao Block Congress convenor Savio Coutinho raised concerns over what he described as "inexplicable" growth in voter numbers. “Azad Nagar is a compact locality along the Margao Konkan Railway Station road, measuring no more than 3,500 square metres and containing roughly 120 to 150 houses. However, the current Margao electoral roll records over 280 house numbers in this section, listing a total of 868 registered voters,” Coutinho pointed out.
“Where have these 280 houses, as per the electoral rolls, come from? Who has issued these house numbers?” he questioned, demanding that the EC conduct an on-site verification to assess whether the area can physically accommodate such a number of registered voters, let alone non-voters and minors.
Coutinho noted that Azad Nagar is bounded by a wall on three sides and the railway station on the fourth, leaving no scope for unaccounted residential expansion. He alleged that gross manipulation had occurred in the electoral rolls, possibly to influence the outcome of upcoming elections. He further added that this was just the beginning of the Congress party’s verification efforts in the Margao constituency and warned that more irregularities would soon be brought to light.
In a similar vein, O Heraldo visited Bamon Bhat in Merces, under the Santa Cruz constituency, to verify allegations of discrepancies. Twenty-six voters were registered under House No 404/7, but none of them were found to be residing there. A woman currently living in the house with her children admitted she was not a voter and said the listed voters were originally from Maharashtra. The house owner was reportedly out of station. Of the 26 enrolled, 15 had voted in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, raising serious questions about the integrity of the electoral roll in the area.
Meanwhile, in response to allegations made by Congress president Amit Patkar regarding another case in Ramnathi-Bandora, Ponda, Bandora Sarpanch Ramchandra Naik has clarified that the 119 voters registered under House No 24/B — comprising buildings 1, 2, and 3 — are spiritual sadhaks residing at the Sanatan Saunstha Ashram. Patkar had raised suspicions about the legitimacy of so many voters being registered under one house number in Booth No 23 of the Marcaim constituency.
Naik countered that the Ashram was built with proper panchayat approvals and that the sadhaks had been residing there legally since 2005. He defended the voters’ rights, stating they were all highly educated individuals involved in religious activities and were entitled to vote under existing laws. He criticised Patkar for politically targeting Power Minister Sudin Dhavalikar over the matter and suggested that Patkar should instead turn his attention to other discrepancies, such as those in the Goa Engineering College area and Shapur in Bandora. Naik claimed that around 150 voters in these localities had not voted in the past four elections and likely no longer reside there, yet continue to remain on the electoral rolls, warranting a review and possible deletion.