PANAJI: The Goa State Election Commission (GSEC) announced the schedule for the 2025 Zilla Panchayat elections in North and South Goa today, with the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) coming into force with immediate effect.
Polling will be held on Saturday, December 20, 2025, following a change from the earlier date of December 30. Receipt of nominations will run from December 1 to December 9, 2025, with scrutiny on December 10 and withdrawal of candidature on December 11. The list of contesting candidates will be published on December 11 itself. Counting of votes is scheduled for December 22, 2025, from 8 am until completion.
Announcing the timeline, GSEC Commissioner Menino D’Souza said all mechanisms for a transparent and impartial election process have been put in place, including the appointment of General and Expenditure Observers at district and constituency levels.
“We have appointed observers at multiple levels. Flying squads and static surveillance teams will remain active to track expenditure and MCC adherence,” D’Souza said.
He added that a detailed security and policing plan has been finalised, with adequate police deployment mapped for polling day. “Police arrangements are fully mapped, ensuring polling is smooth and peaceful. I appeal to every eligible voter to turn up, vote responsibly, and strengthen our democratic process,” he said.
D'Souza noted that pre-poll activities and election preparations had begun well in advance. He said the Commission, keeping in mind the ongoing SIR process, has assigned District Election Officers, Returning Officers, Assistant Returning Officers, and other essential staff who are not involved in the SIR work to ensure poll readiness.
The Commission, D'Souza said, has also completed the delimitation exercise, dividing both North and South Goa into 25 single-member constituencies each. North Goa has 9 seats reserved for women, 7 for Other Backward Classes (OBC), and 1 each for Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST). South Goa has 10 seats for women, 6 for OBC, and 1 for ST. Reservations for SC/ST seats are based on the 2011 Census, while OBC reservation is based on data submitted by the Goa State Commission for Backward Classes in line with Supreme Court directions.
The SEC also confirmed the election will be conducted through ballot paper. Across both districts, 1,284 polling booths will be operational, 658 in North Goa and 626 in South Goa, serving a total electorate of 868,637 voters, including 420,431 male voters, 448,201 female voters, and 5 registered in the other category. The maximum permitted campaign expenditure per candidate is Rs 5,00,000.
Clarifying rules on liquor service at private events, D’Souza said permissions would be strictly regulated. “At private events such as weddings, liquor may be served provided prior written permission is obtained from the Excise Department. Over-the-counter liquor sale is banned on notified dry days,” he stated.
He also said commercial establishments may continue operations beyond 10 pm, except where dry day restrictions or election-related prohibitions apply.
The MCC will apply across all areas under the jurisdiction of the Zilla Panchayats, excluding municipal areas and the Corporation of the City of Panaji. “No new government policy decisions, programmes, or announcements that could influence the election landscape shall be initiated during the MCC period, to ensure fair competition,” D’Souza said.
The Commission confirmed that enforcement and monitoring teams would remain active round the clock to ensure strict compliance with campaign, polling, and expenditure regulations.
