Goa deletes 1.27 lakh voters after SIR; 428 Portuguese passport holders removed from rolls

Goa’s final electoral roll for 2026 was published on Saturday after a four-month Special Intensive Revision (SIR), resulting in a net deletion of 1.27 lakh voters — 10.75% of the electorate as it stood on October 27, when the exercise began. Chief Electoral Officer Sanjay Goel said the revision also identified and removed 428 individuals who had acquired Portuguese passports but whose names remained on the rolls.

When the SIR commenced, Goa had 11.85 lakh registered voters. As part of the exercise, 1,00,042 voters were marked as absent, shifted, dead or duplicate (ASDD). Additionally, 39,592 names were deleted from a pool of 1,82,403 unmapped voters. During the same period, 12,166 fresh voters were added, leading to a net deletion of 27,426 names between the draft and final rolls. Including ASDD voters, the total net deletion reached 1,27,468.

The highest number of deletions was recorded in constituencies around the port town of Vasco da Gama. Vasco da Gama constituency alone saw 11,657 net deletions, followed by Cortalim with 9,389 and Dabolim with 5,489. In North Goa, Taleigao registered 4,947 deletions, while Panaji recorded 4,274.

The final electoral roll now lists 10.57 lakh voters, comprising 5.11 lakh men, 5.46 lakh women and nine third-gender voters. First-time voters aged 18–19 account for 3.41% of the electorate, and the gender ratio stands at 1,068. The qualifying date for the roll is January 1, 2026, and copies have been shared with political party representatives.

Opposition parties had alleged that objections were being systematically filed against names of voters from weaker and vulnerable sections. The CEO said 24,949 claims and objections were received, resulting in 12,166 additions and 3,812 deletions. Aggrieved individuals can appeal to the District Election Officer within 15 days and subsequently to the CEO within 30 days, or file a fresh Form 6 with supporting documents.