PANAJI
Former Minister and United Tribal Association Alliance leader Prakash Velip has said that the entire process of seat reservation could be completed within six months, subject to the government’s commitment to resolving the long-pending issue. Once done, it will pave the way for ST reservation in the 2027 Assembly elections.
Velip, who was part of a delegation led by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar, Tribal Minister Govind Gaude, and ST leaders, that met Union Minister for Tribal Affairs Arjun Munda, sought the formation of a Delimitation Commission for reserving Assembly seats for scheduled tribes in the State.
“We understand there are procedural formalities, but if committed and fast-tracked, everything can be completed within a minimum of six months. If both the Central and State governments push the matter, we can achieve this within the stipulated time,” he said, speaking to The Goan.
Velip recalled the State government’s assurance made on the floor of the House to grant political reservation to the ST community by 2027. CM Sawant assured the Assembly during the last Budget session that the government would fulfill the demand for political reservation by Scheduled Tribes.
“We missed out on political reservations in the past four Assembly elections, but I am confident we will succeed this time. The Goa Election Commission and the State government also possess the 2011 census and constituency-wise data,” he stated.
