PANAJI
The High Court of Bombay at Goa on Monday questioned the Election Commission of India (ECI) over the delay in deciding the registration application of the proposed “Goa Congress Party” and directed the poll panel to provide a concrete timeline on Tuesday for completing the physical verification of its members and office premises.
Goa Pradesh Congress Committee president Girish Chodankar approached the court seeking directions to the ECI to consider objections raised by the Indian National Congress before deciding the application. The Congress contended that the proposed name is deceptively similar to “Goa Congress” and could confuse voters. The ECI’s counsel submitted to the court that no political party is currently registered under the name “Goa Congress Party”. However, an application seeking registration under the name is under scrutiny, and the objections filed by the Congress will be considered before a decision is taken.
The proposed party had published its intention to register on July 2, triggering the mandatory 30-day period for filing public objections, which ended on August 2. The Congress subsequently submitted formal objections in July and August.
Under the requirements framed under Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, the applicant was required to submit affidavits from 100 members, along with their income-tax returns, PAN details and address proofs. The documents have been forwarded to the Chief Electoral Officer of Goa for physical verification of the members as well as the proposed party’s office. The ECI’s counsel said the verification process had been introduced to prevent fraudulent registrations, pointing out that hundreds of bogus applications had previously been submitted by entities without genuine members or functioning offices.
Once the verification is completed, the Commission will also have to provide an opportunity for oral hearings to both the applicant party and the objectors before taking a decision. Questioning the delay, the High Court asked how much time the Goa CEO would require to verify the 100 affidavits and complete the physical checks. The court adjourned the matter till Tuesday, when the ECI is expected to place a definite timeline before it.
