Panaji (Goa): The Chief Electoral Office (CEO) has deleted names of 551 voters for holding Portuguese nationality from the electoral roll. In last five years, as many as 27,000 names have been deleted.

CEO IAS Kunal informed media persons that during the special summery revision held in 2016, total 551 names of people with Portuguese nationality were deleted as they ceased to be Indian citizens.

“The deletion has been undertaken following the names submitted by the Foreigner Regional Registration Office (FRRO)

CEO IAS Kunal said that there have been rumors about the number of people holding Portuguese nationality; but on factual note, only 551 names have been deleted by us last year.

The lure of better economic prospects and access to other European nations is pushing large numbers of Goans to switch nationalities. On daily basis, hundreds of people go for Portuguese passport.

Apart from this, there are thousands of Goans who have registered their births in Portugal—a provision offered by the state’s former colonial rulers to those born before Goa’s liberation in 1961 and to their children—but holding neither a Portuguese passport nor a ‘bilhete de identidade’ (ID card).

The Government of India has authorized district administrators to protect the rights of those Goans, whose births were registered in Portugal.

Team TNV