The ‘vote theft’ revelations making headlines across India have reached Goa too, with Opposition parties alleging large-scale manipulation of electoral rolls. What began as a local probe has added heft to the national debate on electoral integrity, with cases emerging of entire clusters of non-residents registered at single addresses, properties too small to house their official occupants and phantom voters linked to bars and abandoned buildings.

In Marcaim constituency, for example, house no. 24/B at Ramnathi has become a symbol of the alleged malpractice. Records show 119 voters from multiple religions and castes living under one roof — a statistical impossibility, say critics, unless by political design.

Opposition leaders allege the listing has been engineered to benefit the ruling dispensation, with the booth-level officer (BLO) accused of wilful negligence. In a scathing jibe, they suggested he deserves a “President’s medal” for managing to secure such a model instance of “secularism” in a single household.

The pattern extends far beyond Marcaim. In Seraulim, which falls under Benaulim assembly segment, advocate Radharao Gracias has formally complained to the Election Commission of India, alleging that 100 non-local voters are registered at just two addresses. One property, which also operates as a bar, allegedly lists 80 voters from across India, while another property owned by the same person has 20 more names. Gracias says these irregularities were reported to local officials in July 2025 but remain unaddressed.