THE GOAN NETWORK
MAPUSA
Accusing the Congress and other opposition parties of being “hand in glove” with the BJP, Trinamool Congress (TMC) spokesperson Trajano D’Mello on Wednesday charged them with tacitly backing the postponement of municipal elections and failing to defend grassroots democracy.
“Not a single Opposition party has condemned the postponement of municipal elections or criticised the government for its apathy towards holding elections to these grassroots democratic institutions,” D’Mello said at a press conference in Mapusa.
D’Mello who was a petitioner in the matter in the HC alleged that the Opposition had neither intervened in court to seek early polls nor confronted the government in the Assembly over the delay.
D’Mello said he approached the Bombay High Court at Goa through Writ Petition after the State promulgated an ordinance on April 22 amending the Goa Municipalities Act, 1968, when municipal elections were due or approaching. He alleged that the move was intended to undermine Article 243U(3)(a) of the Constitution, which requires municipal elections to be completed before the expiry of the council’s term.
Following his petition, the High Court on August 25 laid down a schedule for completing the formalities and notifying the elections by December 10, 2026, he said.
However, after further proceedings over the election process and the State Election Commission’s procedure for obtaining government approval, the court directed a revised schedule, with elections now to be notified by February 19, 2027, D’Mello said.
He questioned why the opposition failed to raise the issue even during the Assembly session held after the court’s August order.
“This shows that all are hand in glove and are merely putting on a ‘natak’ in the Assembly,” he alleged, accusing political parties of neglecting democracy while municipal councils remain under administrators.
Targeting the Congress, D’Mello questioned the party’s claim of protecting Goa through its ‘Goy Rakhonn Yatra’, alleging that it had failed to protect democratic institutions and was instead safeguarding its political interests.
He also cited the Congress’s criticism of the Margao Municipal Council Chief Officer over the denial of permission for a public meeting at Lohia Maidan during Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Margao.
D’Mello alleged that the Congress had supported the appointment of administrators in municipal councils.
Referring to the Ponda by-election, he further questioned the Congress’s role in proceedings that led to the election being struck down, alleging that the outcome had benefited the BJP.
“Is not the Congress hand in gloves with the BJP to crush democracy?” he asked.
