PANAJI
Though the Centre has operationalised the Readjustment of Representation of Scheduled Tribes in Assembly Constituencies of the State of Goa Act, 2025, the road to actual reservation of four Assembly constituencies remains a long one, with multiple legal and procedural steps still pending.
The elaborate statutory process -- from ascertaining the State's ST population, delimitation of constituencies to final notification of reserved constituencies -- has forced ST leaders to think on whether such a lengthy exercise can realistically be completed within the next three months, before the Model Code of Conduct is expected to come into force for the Assembly elections due in February 2027.
“The Act is very clear. It has laid down a detailed procedure. Now, we have to see whether practically it will be possible to complete the entire process within the next three months. It all depends on the political will. Sooner the Census Commissioner is appointed, the process will be fast-tracked,” ST leader Govind Shirodkar said. Under the Act, the first step is the appointment of a Census Commissioner, who will ascertain or estimate the ST population in Goa based on the last Census. If there have been changes in the ST population following amendments to the ST Orders after the last Census, the Commissioner must estimate the revised ST population and determine its proportion to the State's total population. The ascertained population figures must then be officially notified in the Gazette of India. Once notified, these figures become final, replace all previous population figures and cannot be challenged in any court.
Only after this exercise is completed can the Delimitation Commission begin amending the Delimitation Order (constituency delimitation) to provide appropriate representation to STs in the State, in accordance with Articles 170 and 332 of the Constitution and the Delimitation Act.
The Commission is then required to publish its proposed amendments in the Gazette of India and the Official Gazette of Goa, besides publicising them through other means. It must specify a date for consideration of objections and suggestions and hold one or more public sittings at locations across Goa before finalising the proposals. After examining all public objections and suggestions, the Commission will make the necessary amendments to the Delimitation Order.
“For every time, the authorities will have to grant a maximum of a 30 days time period to the public for feedback. On paper itself the procedure looks so complex but at the end, it depends on how Centre expedites it. The only good thing about this law is, no one can challenge the findings in any court of law,” another tribal leader said. The Act grants the Commission powers of a civil court, including summoning witnesses, calling for documents and requisitioning public records while carrying out the exercise. Once the amended Delimitation Order is finalised, it must again be published in the Gazette of India and the Official Gazette of Goa.
The amendments will thereafter be laid before the Lok Sabha and the Goa Legislative Assembly. The readjustment of Assembly seats and reservation of constituencies will take effect only for elections held after the publication of the amended Delimitation Order.
Although the Commission has been empowered to subsequently correct inadvertent errors or update boundaries if districts or territorial divisions change, ST leaders believe the core exercise itself leaves very little room for delay. While the government has repeatedly maintained that the exercise will be fast-tracked, leaders say the coming weeks will be crucial in determining whether Goa can go to the 2027 Assembly elections with four constituencies reserved for STs for the first time.
