Congress alleges ECI-BJP collusion

PANAJI

The cancellation of Thursday’s Ponda bye-election has ignited a fierce political row in Goa. The Opposition Congress has accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of colluding with the Election Commission of India (ECI) to stall the poll.

The bye-election was necessitated by the death of former minister Ravi Naik last October. Polling was scheduled for April 9, with counting on May 4. But the Bombay High Court declared the ECI’s notification “null and void,” effectively cancelling the election just a day before voting.

At a press conference in Panaji, senior Congress leaders lashed out at the ruling party. AICC Goa desk in-charge Manikrao Thakare alleged that the cancellation was “engineered by the BJP in connivance with the Election Commission.” 

He claimed the petitioner who challenged the notification had links to the BJP, suggesting the case was politically motivated.

Goa Pradesh Congress Committee president Amit Patkar went a step further, arguing that the government’s submission in court opposing the election revealed its intent to block a Congress victory. 

“Our internal surveys showed we were set to win Ponda. The BJP knew it and acted out of fear,” Patkar alleged.

The Ponda constituency has long been won either by the Congress with Ravi Naik as its candidate or by the MGP. The only time that the BJP wrested it was in 2022 with Naik as its candidate. 

The Congress leaders however insist that the tide was turning and accused the ruling party of undermining democratic processes to cling to power. 

“This is not just about one seat. It is about the credibility of our institutions,” Thakare added.

The BJP has yet to issue a detailed response. Party insiders, however, maintain that the court’s decision was a matter of legality, not politics and argue that the ECI acted within its mandate and that the judiciary’s ruling must be respected.

The cancellation has left voters in Ponda in limbo and has also raised larger questions about the independence of electoral institutions and the role of the judiciary in political contests. With tensions running high, the episode is likely to reverberate across Goa’s political landscape in the coming days.