PANAJI
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has been directed to decide the application seeking registration of the proposed Goa Congress Party by November 30, with the High Court of Bombay at Goa asking its officers to ensure completing verification and hearing the applicant as well as objectors.
The Division Bench of Justice Valmiki Menezes and Justice Amit Jamsandekar also directed the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Goa, to verify the residences and documents of around 20 persons supporting the proposed party and submit a report to the ECI by October 9.
The directions came after the court took note of the time taken to process the application. Though it was filed on June 29, 2026, it was forwarded to the Goa CEO only on September 25. During the hearing, the CEO’s legal representative submitted that while the application was filed in June, the documentation was not completed till August-end. “The Commission is wasting time in assessing all this. No details were submitted,” the representative submitted.
The court was further informed that physical verification of the addresses and examination of documents furnished with the affidavits were under way and would be completed between October 5 and 9. The persons supporting the application are based in both North and South Goa, the court was told.
Once the CEO submits the verification report, the ECI will have 15 days to complete the process after giving an adequate hearing to the applicant and objectors, including Goa Pradesh Congress Committee president Girish Chodankar.
The ECI, at the hearing, had sought an additional 15 days, citing the volume of applications it handles. Its representative said the Commission receives around 500 applications annually for registration of political parties. The ECI also assured the court that any further objections received would also be considered. “Applications keep coming and going. As of now, this is the only application for Goa. Their objections will be considered along with this application,” its representative submitted. Accepting the CEO’s proposed verification schedule, the Bench directed the ECI to complete the process and take a decision on the application by November 30, 2026. The proposed party had published its intention to seek registration on July 2, with a mandatory 30-day period for objections, which ended on August 2. The Congress subsequently filed objections.
