Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: Congress leader Amit Palekar has alleged that around 4,500 names were deleted from the electoral roll in St Cruz during the recent revision, claiming that the deletions disproportionately affected Catholic and Muslim voters.
Palekar alleged irregularities in the revision process and demanded a criminal investigation into the matter. He also urged voters to verify their names on the electoral roll and approach Booth Level Officers (BLOs) or party representatives if they find that their names have been deleted.
Meanwhile, Congress MLA Carlos Ferreira has questioned the Election Commission’s handling of voter-roll exclusions and changes to Form 6, alleging that the process violates principles of due process and constitutional safeguards.
Ferreira demanded that the Election Commission of India (ECI) make public complete records relating to its decisions, including agendas, objections, minutes of meetings and final resolutions.
He also called for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alleging that the process had been manipulated to favour a political party.
Ferreira further questioned the functioning of the poll panel, alleging “constitutional misdemeanors” by the Chief Election Commissioner and claiming that the other two Election Commissioners were not taken into confidence.
Referring to a report published by The Indian Express, Ferreira called for a review of the Election Commission’s functioning. He also drew comparisons between certain policies of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and laws enacted during Nazi Germany, an allegation that remains a matter of political interpretation.
The allegations by Palekar and Ferreira come amid renewed scrutiny over electoral-roll revisions and the procedures followed for adding, deleting or modifying voter entries.
