AAP Raises Concerns Over Special Intensive Revision of Electoral Rolls Amid Zila Panchayat Elections in Goa
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) delegation, led by Atishi, met the Election Commission of India to express concerns about the simultaneous conduct of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and Zila Panchayat elections in Goa. AAP fears this overlap will impair monitoring of the SIR process, increasing errors and risking voter exclusion without proper remedies. The party urged the Election Commission to stagger these processes and ensure safeguards for wrongly excluded voters.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) delegation headed by Atishi, Goa in-charge and Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly, met with the Election Commission of India (ECI) to challenge the timing and management of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Goa. The SIR started recently with the draft electoral rolls scheduled for publication by December 9, while the Zila Panchayat elections are set for December 13. AAP raised objections about the 'extraordinary urgency' and simultaneous scheduling of both electoral revision and local elections, arguing this will overstretch election machinery and political workers who are busy campaigning, thus compromising oversight and accuracy of voter lists. AAP highlighted the risk of wrongful omission from draft rolls without clear procedures for affected voters to reclaim their names, stressing the fundamental right to vote. The party criticized reliance on Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and Booth Level Agents (BLAs), who face conflicting duties during this period, reducing effective supervision of the SIR process. They demanded that the ECI separate these two electoral processes and incorporate remedies for excluded voters in SIR guidelines. AAP National Secretary Pankaj Gupta’s letter to the Chief Election Commissioner detailed these concerns, particularly warning of mass deletion risks from incomplete or abusive verification methods. Overall, AAP expressed intentions to closely scrutinize the draft electoral rolls to ensure fairness and prevent disenfranchisement amid Goa’s electoral preparations.
