Goa SIR row: 88 of 97 excluded voters file Form 6; 3 hold Portuguese passports
Synopsis
Goa's electoral roll controversy takes a new turn: of 97 voters whose names were dropped after the Special Intensive Revision, 88 have now filed Form 6 applications — but three are Portuguese passport holders whose eligibility as Indian electors is in question, and six remain unreachable abroad. With over 1.27 lakh names removed in the SIR, the stakes for procedural fairness are high.
Key Takeaways
The Goa CEO 's office on 1 October 2026 updated the status of 97 cases involving electors excluded from the electoral roll.
88 of the 97 excluded voters have submitted Form 6 applications for inclusion in the roll.
Three persons among the 97 hold Portuguese passports , raising questions about their eligibility as Indian electors.
The remaining six voters are currently outside India ; officials are working to contact them.
Goa's SIR exercise removed over 1.27 lakh names ; the final roll, published on 21 February 2026 , contains 10,57,566 electors .
The Election Commission of India and the state CEO are monitoring all outstanding voter-exclusion cases.
The Goa Chief Electoral Officer (CEO)'s office on Thursday, 1 October 2026, provided a detailed status update on the 97 cases involving electors whose names were excluded from the state's electoral roll, confirming that 88 of the 97 affected individuals have now submitted Form 6 applications seeking inclusion. The clarification comes amid sustained pressure from Opposition parties over the omissions flagged during Goa's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Current Status of the 97 Cases
According to the CEO's office, each of the 97 cases has been examined individually and the prescribed statutory process is being followed. Of the remaining nine cases, three persons have been identified as Portuguese passport holders, which raises questions about their eligibility as Indian electors. The other six voters are currently residing outside India, and election officials are actively working to establish contact with them to ascertain the necessary details.
"In respect of the voters who are currently residing outside India, the officials concerned are making efforts to establish and maintain contact with them for further necessary action," the CEO's office stated in a post on X.
What Is Form 6 and Why It Matters
Form 6 is the prescribed application under Indian electoral law through which an eligible citizen can apply for inclusion of their name in the electoral roll. The acceptance of 88 Form 6 applications signals that the majority of excluded electors have taken the required remedial step and their cases are now under active review by election authorities.
Notably, the CEO's office has also made available online facilities for checking electoral roll entries and submitting applications for inclusion, deletion, correction, and registration of overseas electors — widening access for those who cannot visit offices in person.
Scale of Goa's Special Intensive Revision
The broader context of the controversy is the scale of Goa's SIR exercise. The revision commenced with 11,85,034 registered electors as of 27 October 2025. During the process, 10,84,992 enumeration forms were returned, while over one lakh forms were not received and were categorised under absentee, shifted, dead, and duplicate entries.
Following claims, objections, hearings, and field verification, the final electoral roll was published on 21 February 2026, containing 10,57,566 electors. The exercise resulted in the removal of over 1.27 lakh names from the roll — a reduction that drew scrutiny from multiple Opposition parties who questioned the methodology and raised disenfranchisement concerns.
Opposition Pressure and Electoral Commission Oversight
The Election Commission of India and the state CEO's office have been closely monitoring cases in which voters have raised concerns about their exclusion. The Thursday clarification appears to be a direct response to Opposition queries, with officials stressing that eligible voters retain the right to seek inclusion through the prescribed process at any time.
This is not an isolated episode — electoral roll revision exercises across multiple states have periodically drawn similar scrutiny over the accuracy of deletions, particularly in constituencies where margins are narrow and each vote is consequential.
What Happens Next
Election officials are expected to complete the review of all 97 cases, including reaching out to the six electors abroad and resolving the eligibility status of the three Portuguese passport holders. The outcome of these cases could have implications for how future SIR exercises handle overseas residents and dual-nationality queries, potentially prompting clearer procedural guidelines from the Election Commission.
Point of View
Particularly the mobile, the elderly, and those temporarily abroad. The Portuguese-passport angle adds a citizenship-eligibility dimension that existing SIR protocols may not be equipped to handle cleanly. With over 1.27 lakh names removed in Goa's SIR, the question the Election Commission must answer is not just whether a remedial Form 6 process exists — but whether affected voters were adequately informed before deletion, not after. The burden of re-inclusion should not fall entirely on the elector.
NationPress
1 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Goa SIR electoral roll controversy about?
Goa's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls resulted in the removal of over 1.27 lakh names, and 97 cases drew specific attention as affected electors raised concerns about their exclusion. Opposition parties questioned the methodology, prompting the CEO's office to provide a case-by-case status update on 1 October 2026.
What is Form 6 and why are the excluded voters filing it?
Form 6 is the prescribed application under Indian electoral law for an eligible citizen to seek inclusion of their name in the electoral roll. Of the 97 excluded voters, 88 have submitted Form 6 applications, which are now being processed by election authorities.
Why are three of the 97 voters being separately scrutinised?
Three of the 97 individuals have been identified as Portuguese passport holders, which raises questions about their eligibility as Indian electors. Election officials are examining these cases individually to determine their citizenship and electoral status.
What is the current size of Goa's electoral roll after the SIR?
The final electoral roll published on 21 February 2026 contains 10,57,566 electors. The revision began with 11,85,034 registered voters as of 27 October 2025, and resulted in the removal of over 1.27 lakh names after field verification, hearings, and objection resolution.
What happens to the six electors who are currently outside India?
Election officials are actively working to contact the six electors residing abroad to ascertain the necessary details for further action. The CEO's office has also made online facilities available for checking roll entries and submitting inclusion applications, including for overseas electors.
