Team Goemkarponn
Margao: The Margao Congress Block on Tuesday demanded the immediate sacking of PWD Minister Digambar Kamat, alleging that government machinery and the police department were being misused to file false cases against political opponents during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls.
Addressing a press conference, Margao Congress Block Convener Savio Coutinho, along with party leaders Lalan Parsekar, Lincoln Gomes, Damodar Onskar, Camilo Camara, Clifford Dias, Anwar Naroo and Aziz Shah, alleged that false complaints and FIRs were deliberately registered against him to suppress scrutiny of irregularities in the voter revision process.
Coutinho also demanded the immediate suspension of Booth Level Officers (BLOs) who, he claimed, filed false complaints to cover up their own lapses. He said documents in his possession prove that FIRs were registered for incidents that never occurred.
Referring to information obtained from the Goa State Central Library, Coutinho stated that the South District Library premises were not used for any election-related or SIR-related activity, nor was any programme conducted there on November 26, 2025. “Despite this official confirmation, an FIR was registered citing an offence at the same premises. This clearly exposes the falsity of the complaint,” he said.
Coutinho said the Margao Congress Block had launched a door-to-door awareness campaign on the SIR process on November 26, during which several irregularities by BLOs came to light. These were formally brought to the notice of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) in writing on November 27, following which the CEO’s office sought a report from the South District Election Office.
“In order to shield themselves from action, false complaints were filed against me and a fake FIR was registered,” Coutinho alleged.
He also referred to a second FIR registered at the Fatorda Police Station, where he was accused of taking away documents from the Mamlatdar’s office without consent and sharing them with the media. Terming the charge baseless, Coutinho said that as BLA-2 of the Congress party, he had visited the Mamlatdar office on November 5, a day after the SIR process began, to review the distribution of enumeration forms. “The official concerned himself printed the part-wise list and handed it over to us. The allegation that I took documents without consent is completely false,” he said.
Coutinho further claimed that complaints were filed only by BLOs from specific polling parts — Monti Dongor Part Nos. 2, 6 and 7, and Part No. 15 of Azad Nagar — areas which, he alleged, have a large number of bogus voters linked to the Margao MLA. He said these areas were under scrutiny not only by Congress leaders but also by leaders of the BJP.
“The sole motive behind filing these false complaints and FIRs is to keep us entangled in legal battles while the MLA protects his bogus vote bank,” Coutinho charged.
Appealing to voters, Coutinho urged residents of Margao and other constituencies to verify their names on the electoral rolls and remain vigilant. He expressed concern that several genuine but unmapped voters were being summoned for hearings, causing unnecessary hardship.
“Our appeal with folded hands is to every genuine voter to comply with all requirements and ensure they remain on the voter rolls — not for any politician, but for Goa,” he said, alleging that the government’s intent was to inconvenience non-BJP voters so they give up their voting rights.
The Margao Congress Block reiterated its demand for action against the minister concerned and the suspension of erring BLOs, warning that it would continue to raise the issue at all appropriate forums.
