‘Officers involved in conducting SIR’: Congress objects to transfer of 34 civil servants in Goa, CEO takes note

In a letter to Goa’s Chief Electoral Officer on Tuesday, Amit Patkar, the president of the Goa Pradesh Congress Committee, said, “It has come to our attention that several deputy collectors, chief officers and other key officials directly associated with the electoral process have been transferred. Most of these officers are, or will be, involved in the conduct of the SIR, which is already underway as per the ECIs directions. Such mass transfers, executed after the announcement of SIR are in complete violation of the ECIs guidelines, which prohibit any transfer of officers connected with electoral duties without prior approval of the Election Commission of India.”

“We request your urgent intervention to ensure compliance with the ECI norms and to annul these irregular transfers made by the state government. The neutrality and transparency of the electoral process in Goa must be upheld at all costs,” Patkar said.

Earlier on Tuesday, Goa Chief Electoral Officer Sanjay Goel held a meeting with the representatives of several political parties to discuss the preparations for SIR.

Goel said some electoral registration officers (EROs) were among those who were reshuffled. “We will take up the issue with the state government,” Goel told The Indian Express.

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Monday welcomed the ECI’s announcement of SIR, saying it would strengthen the integrity of the electoral process. “A clean and transparent voter list is the bedrock of democracy. We have always stood for accurate, up-to-date rolls that include only genuine, eligible voters. This drive will help identify and correct discrepancies, remove ineligible entries (including any illegal voters or names of illegal immigrants), and further strengthen the integrity of our electoral process,” said Sawant in a post on X.

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