CEC Gyanesh Kumar Begins Two-Day Goa Visit To Review Poll Preparedness

Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar arrived in Goa on Wednesday for a two-day official visit to assess ground-level electoral preparedness and review processes ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections. The visit will focus on field-level experiences, electoral awareness and interactions with officials involved in managing the election process. Goa Chief Electoral Officer Dr Sanjay Goel and other officials welcomed Kumar upon his arrival at the airport.

On Wednesday, the CEC is scheduled to interact with more than 1,000 Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to gather feedback on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise conducted earlier this year. The interaction is expected to provide the Election Commission with direct feedback on voter enrolment, deletions and other field-level issues encountered during the revision of electoral rolls.

The SIR exercise resulted in a 10.2 per cent net reduction in Goa’s electoral roll, with the number of registered electors falling from 11,85,034 to 10,57,566 after 1,39,634 names were deleted. The revision has become a major political issue in the state, with the Opposition Congress alleging that the exercise disproportionately affected its supporters and led to the removal of eligible voters.

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Kumar’s programme on Thursday will focus on younger voters, with an interaction planned with students associated with Electoral Literacy Clubs. The initiative is aimed at strengthening awareness about democratic participation and encouraging young citizens to understand the electoral process. Officials have indicated that the current visit does not include formal meetings with political parties, while a broader review involving the full Election Commission is planned for October or November.

The visit comes as Goa prepares for its next Assembly election, expected in February 2027, ahead of the expiry of the current Assembly’s term in March. The state has 40 Assembly constituencies and recorded a voter turnout of 79.61 per cent in the February 2022 election. The BJP won 20 seats in that election, followed by Congress with 11, while the MGP and AAP won two seats each and GFP, RGP and Independents secured the remaining seats.

The two-day engagement is intended to give the Election Commission a closer assessment of Goa’s electoral machinery before the next Assembly polls. Feedback from BLOs, discussions on voter awareness and the review of electoral roll-related processes are expected to help identify areas requiring attention and strengthen preparedness for the upcoming electoral cycle.

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