South Goa Member of Parliament Viriato Fernandes, a retired Indian Navy officer and Kargil war veteran, has received a notice from the Election Commission of India (ECI) directing him to submit documents to prove his identity for retaining his name in the electoral roll. The development has sparked a political debate, with the MP questioning the scrutiny process and its implications for ordinary voters.
MP Questions EC Scrutiny Process
In a post on social media platform X, Fernandes revealed he received the notice asking him to submit documents for "proving my identity in order to retain my name in the electoral roll." He expressed surprise at the notice, pointing out that every candidate in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, including himself, underwent rigorous scrutiny before being cleared to contest.
The Congress leader emphasized his long voting history, stating he has been exercising his franchise since 1989. "Travelled to Goa multiple times from far off places of military posting during my 26 years of service in the Indian Navy just to cast my vote, be it Lok Sabha, Assembly, Panchayat or Zilla," he wrote.
Fernandes raised serious concerns about the process, stating: "If a Member of Parliament can be subjected to this scrutiny, wonder the state of a common man." He linked this to concerns raised by opposition parties and civil society organizations about the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise potentially deleting legitimate voters from rolls and preventing their participation in democracy.
Official Clarification and Notice Details
The notice issued to Fernandes stated that in his enumeration form, he had not filled details "related to you or your relative that could establish you or your relative as a registered elector in the electoral rolls prepared during the previous SIR." It asked him to appear before the assistant electoral registration officer in Dabolim on January 27, 2026, with original prescribed documents.
Janavi Kalekar, joint mamlatdar-III of Mormugao taluka and assistant electoral registration officer for the Dabolim assembly constituency, issued a clarification on Thursday. She explained that during the SIR, the Booth Level Officer (BLO) collected Fernandes's enumeration form, but it lacked mandatory details from the last SIR, including:
- Assembly constituency number
- Part number
- Serial number in the electoral roll
Because these essential fields were empty, the BLO application could not automatically link the form with the existing electoral record. Consequently, the system placed the form in the 'unmapped' category and automatically generated the hearing notice as per procedure. The matter remains under inquiry.
Large-Scale Deletions in Goa's Electoral Rolls
The controversy comes against the backdrop of significant changes to Goa's voter lists. Over one lakh (100,042) names were deleted from the draft electoral rolls in Goa, representing a deletion rate of 8.44 percent. According to data from the Goa chief electoral officer last month, out of 11,85,034 electors, 10,84,992 (91.56 percent) submitted their enumeration forms.
The breakdown of deleted electors reveals multiple categories:
- 25,574 individuals were confirmed deceased.
- 29,729 were classified as untraceable or absent.
- 40,469 had permanently shifted residence.
- 1,997 were found enrolled at multiple locations.
- 2,273 were listed under 'others,' including those unwilling to register.
Political Background of Viriato Fernandes
Viriato Fernandes, a respected naval veteran, joined the Congress party ahead of the 2022 Goa Assembly elections. He made his electoral debut from the Dabolim constituency, narrowly losing to BJP's Mauvin Godinho. However, in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, he secured a significant victory, defeating BJP candidate Pallavi Dempo to represent South Goa in Parliament.
The current notice has brought the SIR process under increased scrutiny, with political observers noting that such verification exercises involving sitting MPs are unusual, especially when the individual has recently contested and won a national election after thorough candidate scrutiny.
The hearing scheduled for January 27 is expected to resolve the technical issue regarding Fernandes's enumeration form. However, the incident has amplified discussions about the balance between cleaning electoral rolls and ensuring no legitimate voter is disenfranchised, particularly in a politically sensitive state like Goa.
