PANAJI
More than two-and-a-half months after the Centre operationalised the law paving the way for political reservation for Scheduled Tribes (STs) in Goa, the process remains shrouded in uncertainty, with neither the State government nor tribal leaders having clarity on how far the exercise has progressed.
The lack of information has fuelled discontent among tribal representatives, who fear that the slow pace of the exercise could leave little room for a smooth implementation ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has maintained that the matter is now with the Election Commission of India (ECI) and that the State government has no role to play, leaving tribal leaders seeking answers on the status of a process they have waited years to see implemented.
On August 6, the Centre brought into force the Readjustment of Representation of Scheduled Tribes in Assembly Constituencies of the State of Goa Act, 2025, paving the way for reservation of four of the 40 Assembly seats for STs.
Following this, the Union Ministry of Law and Justice asked the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India to initiate the exercise of ascertaining Goa's ST population. Sources said the Census Commissioner subsequently sought constituency-wise ST population data based on the 2011 Census and updated figures from the State government and the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO).
While the State government has submitted ST population data, the CEO's office is still in the process of furnishing constituency-wise details to help identify constituencies with the highest ST population.
However, there is no clear public update on the progress made by the authorities or the timeline for completing the next stages.
Tribal leader and MLA Govind Gaude expressed displeasure over the manner in which the process is unfolding, saying several statutory steps remain before the final notification reserving constituencies can be issued.
“There are 14 steps involved in the process, and it will take at least another three to four months. Since the Act was made operational and the Census Commissioner was tasked with the exercise, there is absolutely no idea what is happening. We don't know where the progress has reached,” Gaude said.
Tribal Association of Goa (TAA) president Prakash Velip also voiced concern over the lack of communication.
“As far as we understand, not much progress has been made so far. The Election Commission is still required to forward certain information that has been sought, and we have been told that the matter is under process and that the information will be sent within the next two days,” Velip said.
“There is no clarity and no one is ready to update us,” he added, describing the pace of progress as disappointing.
The next crucial step is the formal ascertainment and notification of Goa's ST population by the Census Commissioner. Only after the population figures are officially notified can the ECI determine the number of seats to be reserved, identify the constituencies and initiate the statutory process of publishing proposals, inviting objections and holding public sittings before finalising the amendments to the Delimitation Order.
While Sanguem, Quepem, Priol and Nuvem are among the constituencies expected by the State government to be reserved, the final decision will depend on the prescribed statutory exercise.
With the Assembly elections expected in early 2027, the absence of a clear timeline has raised questions over whether the process will be completed in time. “We have a strong doubt that the ST reservation will be done this election in the manner in which everything is working,” Velip commented.
