PANAJI
The Goa State Election Commissioner, W V Ramanamurthy, has notified the reservation scheme for wards of the Taleigao panchayat earmarking six of the 11 wards as 'reserved' -- four for women and one each for Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes (OBCs).
There is no ward reserved for Scheduled Castes in the Taleigao panchayat elections for which are slated for April 28.
According to Ramanamurthy's notification published in the official gazette, the four wards reserved for women are: Ward nos III, IV, VI and IX.
Also ward I is reserved for OBCs and ward 5 for STs.
Interestingly, despite the notification citing the Supreme Court judgement which stipulates that the maximum number of wards reserved for the various categories including the Constitutionally mandated SCs and STs should not exceed 50 per-cent of the total number of seats, the quota of six notified by Ramanamurthy amounts to 54.5 per-cent.
Meanwhile, Ramanamurthy, a former IAS officer who heads the Goa State Election Commission, had earlier in the week finalised the delimitation of the eleven wards through a notification similarly published in the official gazette.
The date for the election to the Taleigao panchayat had also been announced. The term of the current body ends on May 9 and as per the Constitutional provision, elections have to be completed and the new body constituted before that date.
