Objections raised over ‘unequal’ ward delimitation in Margao

Coutinho said there is no explanation for why some wards have barely 2,000 voters while others exceed 3,000. The lack of transparency in the criteria used for delimitation, he added, makes it difficult to raise effective objections or offer constructive suggestions.

He pointed out that delimitation requires voter strength across wards to be equal, or nearly equal, in proportion to the number of members fixed under Section 9 of the Goa Municipalities Act, 1968, as far as practicable.

“For Margao, each ward should have around 2,500 voters. However, the draft shows wide variations, resulting in unequal voter strength. This directly affects the value of each vote,” he said.

Comparatively, Coutinho noted that Curtorim has an average of 3,132 voters per ward and Fatorda 2,449, while Margao has 2,363. “This undermines free, fair and transparent elections,” he added.

He also raised concerns over ward boundaries. “There is no discernible basis for fixing boundaries. The draft shows major changes from the 2021 elections without explanation. It appears to be a ‘patchwork’ exercise aimed at creating safe wards for select candidates,” he alleged.