PANAJI
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Saturday reiterated that the State Election Commission (SEC) will have “full control” over the upcoming municipal elections due in May but likely to be deferred.
“All rights have been given to the State Election Commission. It is up to the Election Commission,” Sawant said, stressing that the government will not interfere in either the scheduling or the conduct of the polls.
The Chief Minister explained that his cabinet has already cleared the move to transfer all powers to the SEC, allowing the body to independently decide on dates, notifications, and other election-related matters.
He underlined that the Commission will function autonomously and the government’s role will remain limited.
Sawant’s statement comes amid growing anticipation over the municipal elections, which were expected to set the tone for local governance in several towns across the State.
However, while the cabinet has cleared the ordinance to empower the SEC on poll scheduling, delimitation and reservation roster of wards, the actual promulgation of the ordinance to give it legal effect may have to wait until next week since the Governor Pusapati Ashok Gajapathi Raju is out of station and likely to return only on Tuesday.
Meanwhile the terms of at least six municipal councils has ended and the government has named bureaucrats to head them as administrators last week. Another five, including the Margao and Mormugao municipal councils are having their terms expiring in May.
