PANAJI
The State Election Commission (SEC) has notified the delimitation of 186 village panchayat areas into wards for ensuing general elections of village panchayats and will soon notify the reservation of seats at the panchayat level.
The State government had entrusted the task to delimit each panchayat area into wards and reserve seats in every panchayat to the SEC in consultation with the government.
The notification has been made public through an official gazette dated April 25.
The Mamlatdars and Joint Mamlatdars, who were appointed as the Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and Awal Karkuns and Head Clerks as Asst. Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs), have completed the task.
The delimitation has been done considering factors such as population or proportionate number of voters in each ward of the panchayat. Also, the contiguity and natural boundaries are considered while delimiting wards.
Complying with rules, the delimitation process is done in such a way that voters of a particular area are kept together to ensure that members of a single household are in the same ward. The wards division as per rule should be in such a way that the distance to the polling booth should be within 2 kilometres.
The EROs and AEROs have prepared the draft and the draft delimitation had been kept for public suggestion and objections from February 24 to March 4. The panchayat elections have to be conducted before June 19.
Delimitation, reservation process done transparently, says Mauvin
VASCO: Panchayats Minister Mauvin Godinho said the delimitation process has been transparent, but at the same time went on to assert it may not satisfy all people 100 per cent.
Godinho said, “The process is very transparent but we must realise that whatever best delimitation and reservation is done, we cannot everyone. I must, however, compliment from what I saw in the files, the State Election Commission has done a good job with the involvement of Mamlatdars, Joint Mamlatdars and others concerned.”
“We have 191 panchayats, but we will have elections for 189 panchayats because two panchayats had gone to the court some time ago and hence we cannot hold their elections at the same time as others.”
“After the delimitation is over, the next step is the reservation of wards which has already started. The SEC has applied the right criteria and in consultation with us, it will be given finality. Elections were due by June 4, but that looks difficult and maybe we may have to advance the elections by a week or ten days which we will do,” said Godinho.
