PANAJI
Panchayat polls in Goa are likely to be held on June 4, Minister for Panchayat Raj Mauvin Godinho said on Wednesday, adding that the polls would not be held on party lines.
Speaking to reporters at the Secretariat, Godinho also said that the State Election Commission was in consultation with the state government over the delimitation procedure.
"We have proposed that panchayat elections be held on June 4, which will be held across 189 panchayats. The date is tentatively fixed as of June 4. The counting will be held soon," Godinho said.
"There is no question of having panchayat elections on party lines, let people at the grassroot level decide, irrespective of what political affiliations are there... It is also self-governance at grassroot levels. Very consciously the state government has decided that we will not have these elections on party lines," he added.
Godinho also said that the government had received a stockpile of recommendations and suggestions from the general public regarding the delimitation procedure, much of which would be incorporated while tweaking village wards.
"The delimitation process is on. Delimitation as you are aware, has been handed to the Election Commission. The EC is in consultation with the State government. Right now some consultation is going on because EC has also received so many representations, so many suggestions, they have pointed out certain anomalies. They have come to us also. So both have been consulting each other, most of the things will be cleared very soon and we will be able to keep up the schedule," he said.
"Once this is done, the next thing will be about reservation. That also we will be solving at the earliest possible time. There is a huge stockpile, we have painfully gone through each and everything which came to our notice and that way EC of Goa has done quite a good job. They are looking at it very carefully," he said.
