The Election Commission of India (ECI) has issued a clarification after former Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Arun Prakash and his wife received notices seeking additional documents as part of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Goa.
On Monday, the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) of the Cortalim Assembly constituency explained that the enumeration form submitted by the retired admiral was placed in an “unmapped” category because several mandatory details were missing.
According to the ERO, the booth-level officer (BLO) collected the form from Admiral Prakash, but it did not include essential information linked to the previous electoral roll revision. These missing details included the elector’s name, EPIC number, name of a relative, assembly constituency details, and the part and serial number in the voter list.
Why the notice was issued
Election officials said the digital system used during the SIR process automatically links forms to existing voter records only when all required identification details are filled in.
Since key fields were left blank, the system could not match the form with the existing electoral database
As per procedure, such cases require additional verification
A hearing notice is automatically generated to allow voters to confirm their eligibility
The ERO clarified that the notice was issued through a system-driven process and was not targeted at any individual.
Admiral Prakash, a Vir Chakra awardee and war veteran who settled in Goa after retirement, told reporters that both he and his wife have been asked to appear before election officials on separate dates. He said they would comply with the request but noted that the language used in the notice was complex and difficult to understand.
The original notice stated that while the signed enumeration form was received, it lacked information required to establish the voter’s presence in electoral rolls prepared during the previous SIR exercise.
Last week, South Goa MP Viriato Fernandes, also a retired naval officer and Kargil war veteran, received a similar notice asking him to submit documents to verify his identity and retain his name in the voter list.
The Election Commission maintains that the verification process is part of standard electoral procedures aimed at ensuring the accuracy and integrity of voter rolls.
