MAPUSA
With barely weeks left for the tenure of 11 municipal councils to end on May 25, uncertainty looms large over the conduct of civic elections in Goa, amid strong indications that the polls could be postponed – either by the government or through judicial intervention.
There is a growing buzz in political circles that sections within the ruling dispensation are not keen on going to the polls immediately. Sources indicated that a few MLAs and at least one cabinet minister are in favour of deferring the elections, citing “practical constraints.”
Even as the speculation gains ground, the Goa State Election Commission (SEC) has already set the election machinery in motion.
The SEC has initiated the crucial process of ward delimitation across all 11 municipal councils slated for polls. A public notice had been issued inviting objections and suggestions on the draft ward plans, signalling that preparations are at an advanced stage.
In addition, the SEC has notified the number of councillors for each municipality, another key step in the run-up to elections.
The final electoral rolls – on the basis of which voting will take place – are expected to be published shortly, possibly within the next week, sources said.
What remains pending, however, are two critical steps: the announcement of ward reservations and the formal election schedule.
It is here that the government appears to be caught in a tight spot.
Legal experts point out that there must be a clear gap between the declaration of reservations and the announcement of the poll schedule.
Mapusa-based advocate Mahesh Rane said that a 2021 Supreme Court ruling mandates that reservations be notified well in advance.
“The Supreme Court has made it clear that the reservation policy must be announced at least eight weeks before the election schedule. This effectively means a two-month gap,” Rane said, adding that the timeline now makes it difficult for the government to adhere to the directive.
According to him, any deviation from this requirement could invite legal challenges and potentially stall the election process.
“The current situation strongly indicates that a postponement is a real possibility,” he added.
Sources within the ruling establishment, however, suggested that the government may still choose to go ahead and announce both the reservation policy and the election schedule within a compressed timeframe.
“The government could take a calculated risk. It can announce the reservations and the schedule with a short gap, anticipating that the opposition will move court,” a source said.
“That way, the government can maintain that it has followed due process, and any delay would then be attributed to judicial intervention,” he added.
Such a strategy, the source added, would allow the ruling side to “take the moral high ground” while shifting the onus of postponement onto its political opponents.
With the clock ticking and legal constraints tightening, all eyes are now on the State government and the SEC.
Whether Goa heads into civic polls on schedule or witnesses yet another deferment may ultimately be decided not just in the corridors of power, but also in the courts.
