PANAJI
The Election Commission of India is set to kick-start its preparations for the 2027 Goa Assembly elections, with Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar scheduled to visit the State on September 2 and 3 to review election readiness.
Kumar will be in Goa as part of a two-day regional conference being organised by the ECI, according to a communication issued by the Commission's Secretariat on August 8. The September 2 programme will focus on interaction with Booth Level Officers (BLOs), with around 500 BLOs from different Assembly constituencies and nearby districts expected to participate. On September 3, the ECI will hold a regional conference on ELC and ECINET, covering all 40 Assembly constituencies, with around 1,000 participants expected. The conference will also bring together representatives from educational institutions, government officials and election authorities, indicating a wider focus on voter awareness and strengthening electoral processes ahead of the 2027 polls. The ECI communication states that around 250 schools from Classes IX to XII, representing all 40 constituencies, are proposed to participate. Each selected institution will send its head and two students-one male and one female-selected on the basis of academic performance. Around 10 universities and 20 major colleges from selected districts will also participate. In all, approximately 300 educational institutions are expected to be represented, with three participants from each institution, taking the estimated participation from educational institutions to around 900. The programme will include demonstrations on electoral roll preparation, polling and counting, besides an exhibition and quiz. Deputy Election Officers, District Education Officers and senior Education Department officials are also expected to attend.
The September visit comes as Goa moves closer to the 2027 Assembly elections. The term of the incumbent BJP government is set to end in March, next year. As announced by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, the elections are expected in February, 2027.
