Team Goemkarponn
DELHI: AAP Goa in-charge and former Delhi Chief Minister Atishi has questioned the Election Commission of India (ECI) over its decision to conduct the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the Zilla Panchayat (ZP) elections in Goa simultaneously.
Atishi, who met ECI officials today, said that the draft rolls for the SIR will be released on December 9, while the Zilla Panchayat elections are scheduled for December 13, with the reservation notification already issued.
“In two or three days, the Model Code of Conduct will come into effect. Naturally, when elections are underway, the entire machinery of all political parties becomes involved in campaigning. No political party will have the time to monitor or oversee the SIR process,” Atishi said.
She questioned the urgency of holding both exercises together, pointing out that “more than a year is left for the Goa Assembly elections,” and the SIR could have been conducted after the ZP polls.
Atishi also highlighted a gap in the ECI’s SIR framework, noting that the guidelines do not provide any remedy for missing names in the draft rolls.
“The SIR guidelines only have provisions for objections against wrongful inclusion, not for people whose names are missing from the draft,” she said, urging the ECI to address this lapse to ensure fair voter representation.
