PANAJI
The High Court of Bombay at Goa has granted an interim stay on the Election Commission of India's (ECI) order de-registering the Goa Vikas Party (GVP), allowing the party to continue functioning and contest elections in the State until the matter is finally decided.
The interim order, pronounced on Monday, stays the operation of the ECI's September 19, 2025 decision, which had removed the party from the register of recognised political parties. The relief was granted while hearing a petition filed by the GVP challenging the Commission's decision.
The ECI had de-registered the party on the ground that it had not contested elections for several years, including the 2022 Goa Legislative Assembly elections.
After hearing the parties, the High Court directed that the operation of the Commission's order shall be stayed till the writ petition is disposed of.
The ECI's action against the GVP formed part of a nationwide exercise to identify and delist Registered Unrecognised Political Parties (RUPPs) that had failed to contest even a single election continuously for six years.
In the first phase of the exercise, the Commission delisted 334 RUPPs across the country, including four from Goa -- Goa Nationalist Party, Goa Praja Party, Goemcarancho Otree Asro and United Goans Party.
The GVP was among four Goa-based RUPPs delisted in the second phase of the exercise. The other parties were Goa Su-Raj Party, Sattari Yuva Morcha and United Goans Democratic Party.
