Form-7 misused for filing bulk SIR objections, act against officials: Cong

NT Reporter

Margao

Congress has demanded immediate uploading and public disclosure of Form-10 data for all Assembly constituencies in Goa, alleging serious irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.

Stating that the SIR guidelines permit a maximum of 10 Form-7 objections per individual objector, State Congress president Amit Patkar has demanded identification and strict action against individuals who exceeded the permissible objection limit.

“Strict disciplinary action must be taken against erring Booth Level Officers and supervisory officials who facilitated or failed to prevent the illegal acceptance of bulk Form-7 objections,” said Patkar in a letter to the Chief Electoral Officer.

He said this representation is in addition to the one given on January 13.

He has also called for a constituency-wise, independent inquiry into the misuse of Form-7, beginning with Navelim, Tivim and Mapusa, and extending to any other constituency exhibiting similar patterns.

“The official Form-10 data now available clearly establishes that these irregularities are not confined to a single Assembly constituency, but reflect a wider and systemic pattern across multiple constituencies, including Navelim, Tivim and Mapusa,” said
Patkar.

He said that subsequent developments and disclosures have brought to light far graver irregularities, particularly relating to the misuse of Form-7, blatant violation of SIR guidelines, and the apparent facilitation of bulk and mechanical deletion attempts, posing a direct threat to the constitutional right of Goan citizens to vote.

The recurrence of such extreme numerical violations across three separate constituencies establishes that this is not an isolated aberration, but a coordinated and systemic misuse of the Form-7 mechanism, said Patkar.