Goa, Sept. 5 -- The Chief Election Commission er's description of Goa's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls as the 'best' in the country has come under sharp po litical challenge, with the exercise leaving the State with 1,27,468 fewer elec tors than it had before the revision. The scale of the reduc tion assumes significance with Goa heading towards the 2027 Assembly elec tions. The electorate stood at 11,85,034 before the SIR but fell to 10,57,566 in the roll published after the ex ercise - a net reduction of 10.76 per cent.

Although the rolls have since expanded, they remain substantially below their pre-SIR strength. Accord ing to data available with the State Election Office, Goa's electorate stood at 10,76,688 as of...