Empowering youth
I fully agree with Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, who has urged the Goan youth to look beyond the conventional government jobs. There is a need for the Goan youth to arise from their habit of ‘susegad’ behaviour and look out for jobs that will not only keep them busy but also give them a good source of income. The state government should also look at the prospect of bringing industries to the state that will provide jobs to the unemployed Goans.
Cajetan Peter D’Souza, Mumbai
Direct connectivity
As a resident of Mapusa who lived in Vasco for 23 years, I fail to understand why there is still not a single direct bus operating between Mapusa and Vasco and vice versa. Despite the government and the Kadamba Transport Corporation introducing buses on many new routes and planning new interstate services, this long-standing demand remains completely unfulfilled. Even at the Panaji bus stand, shuttle services are noticeably more frequent to Margao than to Vasco. This neglect becomes especially frustrating during the Vasco Saptah period when demand peaks. I personally experienced waiting in a queue for over 45 minutes without a single bus arriving. I request the government to start buses on this route, as it would bring immense convenience to so many commuters.
Rashmi Sopan, Mapusa
Electoral controversy
Congress-led Opposition parties have demanded the immediate resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, accusing the administration of targeting young voters for exclusion, while asserting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah will be held accountable. Critics point out that despite Electoral Registration Officers in Goa confirming the validity of certain voters, the officers’ input was ignored, and restricting their access to the ECINet software has directly undermined their statutory authority over the voter lists. Further complicating registration for new voters are recent changes to Form 6, which Congress leader Jairam Ramesh –citing a published report in a post on X – claimed are part of a targeted effort to exclude Gen Z, noting that the latest SIR phase has deleted or flagged 54% of voters in Delhi and nearly 12 crore voters nationwide. Compounding these issues, Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi have formally objected on record at least 14 times over the past 10 months against decisions made without their knowledge, raising alarm over alterations to Form 6, arbitrary additions and deletions, and the centralised control imposed on the electoral roll database. Gyanesh Kumar should resign immediately.
Bhagwan Thadani, Mumbai
Procedural breakdown
The stability of any democracy depends on the independence and structural integrity of its core institutions. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has long been revered as an impartial custodian of the popular will. The reported differences within the ECI over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls have drawn sharply different reactions from former chief election commissioners and officials, with some describing the developments as deeply concerning, while others stating that disagreements are part of institutional decision-making. Former chief election commissioner O P Rawat called reports of the alleged differences “very serious” and “unfortunate”. Reacting to the reports, Rawat said that during his tenure, decisions were generally taken unanimously and differences were resolved through consensus. He also raised concerns over the reported changes to Form 6, which is used by new voters to register themselves. An investigation by an English daily has revealed a serious internal rift within the ECI, signalling a constitutional crisis. Election Commissioners (ECs) Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi have recorded at least 14 written objections against decisions made unilaterally by the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over a 10-month period. The friction primarily involves the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and the centralisation of voter software through the ECINet portal. This is not an ordinary administrative disagreement; it is a fundamental challenge to the law, transparency and the collaborative nature of electoral governance. The objections mainly focussed on the SIR exercise, which led to the deletion of over 13 crore voters’ names across 30 states and Union territories. Shockingly, the two ECs, the majority in the three-member body, stated that they were repeatedly kept in the dark about crucial decisions and orders issued in the ECI’s name. Most concerning are their assertions that unilateral changes made to Form 6 (the registration document for new voters) were “unauthorised and illegal”, bypassing mandatory amendments to the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. When internal checks crumbled, the dissenting ECs felt compelled to raise the alarm directly with the cabinet secretary, exposing the depth of the procedural breakdown.
Yash Pal Ralhan, Jalandhar
