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‘SIR IS CHALLENGING GIVEN THAT IT IS A FRESH EXERCISE’
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‘SIR IS CHALLENGING GIVEN THAT IT IS A FRESH EXERCISE’

Uncategorized November 14, 2025 , by

By Praveena Sharma

Sanjay Goel, Goa’s chief electoral officer (CEO), has been the man of the moment since the special intensive revision (SIR) exercise of verifying the State’s electoral roll took off on November 4. He told the Goan Observer, it is a race against time for him as he pushes his officers to digitise 80,000 enumeration forms per day

How is the special intensive revision (SIR) progressing?
The enumeration phase – from November 4 to of December 4 – is going on. Within that, the first target of distribution of enumeration forms to all the electors was almost 100% achieved till yesterday night.

How do you deliver the form if the elector is not at their registered address?
For those not found at their register address, their form is left at the door step. We slip it below the door. That form is being taken as distributed. Also, any adult member in the house can also take the form on behalf of electors. Building supervisors can also be handed over (the form).
Since day before yesterday ((November 9), collection of filled up and signed enumeration forms has started. As of now (November 11), we have collected around 12,000 enumeration forms. We must speed up the pace because by December 3, most of the (filled) forms should come back to us.
Electors have two options – first, even if they have received a physical copy of the form, they can fill it online. For this, we have circulated the details of our website. They can go on that portal and digitise their enumeration form.
The other option is, the booth level officer (BLO) will go around to help them if they (electors) have any problem filling up the form. The only problem (I foresee) is mapping (elector details) with the 2002 elector roll – whether their name or their parent’s name is there on the 2002 roll or not.
BLO App has a provision which can help locate your details easily. Then, the BLO will ask electors to fill the form, which can then be digitised. Then, it is done. To save BLO’s time, we are encouraging electors to fill forms online.

Of the 12,000 forms filled till now, how many were online forms?
Not much. Every two hours, the figure is updated on the portal. As of now, it is not much because people want more clarity on it. We are putting around posters. Yesterday, we sent posters to all the departments so that they can display them on all government websites. We are also giving a QR code in newspapers, where the process (of filling the enumeration forms) is explained. If anybody has any problem they can view it.

Have you come out with a video or a reel for educating the electors about it?
That (kind of) video, we are giving to BLOs for training. Right now, the collection phase has just started. Today, we will give some target to our EROs and BLOs. Every BLO should digitalise minimum 50 forms per day. So, that makes it around 2000 forms per day for every ERO, and that makes the overall digitisation around 80,000 per day for the state of Goa.
We have 23 days left with us. This way, we will meet the target 100%.

How many enumeration forms have to be filled?
We froze the number of electors on October 27 at around 11.85 lakh. So, that many enumeration forms are to be filled. After that no new additions will happen till the publication of the final electoral rolls on February 7. All forms received in-between will be processed only after that.

Which electoral roll will be taken into consideration for Zilla Parishad elections (December13)?
They (State election Commission of Goa) have taken the (electoral) roll of the cut-off date (October 27). After that, if there are updations, it is their outlook. How they use the roll or how they include new electors is up to them. We will come out with our draft roll on December 9.

How did you prepare for the SIR?
First step was filling up all the posts of ERO, ARO and BLOs.

How many BLOs have been appointed?
(It’s) 1,735 BLOs. Then, the post of BLO supervisors was filled up. Supporting staff was required at the ERO office. Volunteers were required to go with the BLOs. We asked the political parties to appoint their BLAs (booth level agents), who could help BLOs at the field level because they are well versed with the local area. Then, giving training to all of them about the SIR guidelines.
There are more than 50 modules working – training modules, and other modules of the election commission of India (ECI). Today morning, we conducted one more training round for EROs and AROs. In the afternoon, we will be training the BLOs on operation of BLO App because they are facing difficulties with it.
These trainings are a continuous process because of lot of updations by the ECI, based on the feedback from the field. We are continuously training, encouraging, and setting targets for EROs, AROs and BLOs.
Then, there was also the task of dissemination of information to the public. Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) activities are being undertaken – advertisement in the electronic media, print media, and informing all the government departments and asking them to display (all the information).

When did you start the process?
The circular for Goa came on October 27. Though, before that also – two months prior to that –lot of activities were going on. But the actual process started from October 27.

Was this time enough for you – from October 27 to November 4 – for SIR preparation?
Yes, but feelers were there from the ECI that this (SIR) is coming. There were conferences of all the chief election officers (CEOs) by the ECI. It had already been intimated to us. So, we were prepared.
We filled the posts of EROs, AROs and BLOs, gave them some preliminary training and prepared them mentally before October 27.

Do you feel challenged by the scale of SIR, which needs to be completed in such a short time?
If they (Bihar) have been able to achieve the task, other states should also…

How is it for you?
See, the task is challenging given that it is a fresh exercise; done after 23 years. Last SIR in Goa was in 2002. Also, the entire State machinery is in election mode. There is also a model code of conduct in force – government is practically in freeze mode.
It is a double whammy, in the sense, that the entire State is working as usual but now only we (election office) are in election mode. Sometime, there is reluctance on the part of other departments to relieve the officers for BLO duty or for support staff or for volunteers. So, you have to manage within those circumstances. We requested all the secretaries and HODs (head of departments) to cooperate.

How are you trying to come around these challenges? Do you think, more time should have been given to you for the exercise?
Right now, we cannot comment on this but we will meet the timelines of the commission (ECI).
Are you confident?
We will try. We are trying our best. We are doing reverse calculation. Accordingly, we are deciding everyday target so that we meet the final target before the end (date).

Are you able to meet the everyday target? What is the feedback from BLOs?
For distribution, we were the first in the all 12 States, in which Goa achieved almost 100%. It is the highest among all other states where SIR is being applied. For collection, it’s very sluggish, as of now, but today onwards we will try to expedite it.
We will write to the DOs (District Officers). Tomorrow (November 12), I am calling both the collectors and political parties for a meeting. We will request them to engage their BLAs in the exercise. The commission has allowed BLAs to collect 50 forms from the houses and give it to BLOs with the list and an undertaking that he has checked everything. If that comes to me then it will be very handy.

How will your office ensure there is no disenfranchisement?
This is the motto. We are trying that this does not happen.

Do you think electors have been given sufficient time to produce their documents and fill forms?
After Bihar SIR, there is some understanding among people of how it works. For each elector, it is a five minutes job to fill the form, and it takes five minutes to understand the modality. One has to give just 10 minutes for the whole exercise.

Do you think SIR is clashing with the Zilla Parishad elections?
Initially, we requested the government, in writing, to postpone the Zilla Parishad election because of staff (appointment issues). (In) the discussion, we had with the government, they assured they will put their EROs.
Those officers, who are in the SIR task, will not be drafted for Zilla Panchayat elections. We have got this assurance as of now. We are hoping it should happen like that. This way our work will continue as per schedule.

Do you think a third-party audit of the electoral rolls should be done once the final SIR roll is out?
No. After the roll is published, there is an appeal mechanism. If anybody has an appeal against the order of the ERO then in 30 days he can file it with the district magistrate (DM). If they are still aggrieved by the order of the DM then in another 30 days, the appeal can come to the CEO. So, there is a mechanism. You can file an appeal for any wrongful deletion or inclusion.

How do you take care of fake and duplication of voter ID?
All this will go away in this (SIR) process, because if an elector has a fake ID, then he will not have his name in the 2002 roll anywhere in the country. In that case, he must show one of the 11 documents the ECI has prescribed.
First, the elector will not turn up with the enumeration form. Even if he does, it will not be mapped with the 2002 roll. In that case, he or she must produce one of the 11 documents. If they are not available then, by default, he is out of the roll.

Have issues and complaints been raised by BLOs to you?
There were some problems with the BLO App. We raised it to the ECI. They have corrected them. In some cases, there is connectivity issue because of which the app does not open on the field.
Every big task, which involves every household and the process is new, there will be challenges in the field, but, we will overcome it.

What is the cost of the whole exercise?
The cost is not much. It is just printing of the forms, the BLO’s salary, and some SVEEP and publicity exercise. That’s all.

What is the total budget?
We have not yet defined the budget. It will be on actual basis.

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