MARGAO
With the Passage of The Readjustment of Representation of Scheduled Tribes in Assembly Constituencies of the State of Goa Bill, 2024 in the Lok Sabha and the nod for the Bill in the Rajya Sabha a foregone conclusion, the Election Commission will decide and officially notify which four Assembly constituencies will be reserved for the Scheduled Tribes (ST) community, based on data from the population census.
That, however, hasn’t stopped speculation from doing the rounds. Reports suggest that the constituencies of Priol, Quepem, Sanguem, and Nuvem may be among those likely to be reserved for the ST communities.
Priol, Quepem, and Sanguem are home to a significant ST population, predominantly from the Hindu community. In fact, members of the ST community have previously been elected from these three constituencies, including the current MLA Govind Gawde, who represents Priol in the Goa Legislative Assembly.
As for Nuvem, the constituency includes villages such as Nuvem, Loutolim, Verna, and Nagoa, all of which have a notable Christian ST population.
United Tribal Alliance Association (UTAA) leader Prakash Velip stated that the Election Commission would base its decision on the constituencies with the highest percentage of ST population. “For now, we can assume that constituencies like Priol, Sanguem, Quepem, and Nuvem may fall under reservation. But we must wait for the Election Commission to complete its official exercise,” he said.
Adv John Fernandes, President of the Mission Political Reservation for the Scheduled Tribes, also expressed a similar view, stating that Priol, Quepem, Sanguem, and Nuvem are likely to be the four Assembly constituencies reserved for the ST community.
