PANAJI
The State government has ruled out any postponement of the upcoming Zilla Panchayat (ZP) elections, confirming that polling will take place on December 13 as initially announced.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, speaking to The Goan, reaffirmed that the government has no plans to defer the polls. “There will be no change in the ZP election schedule. It will be held as announced,” he said.
The clarification comes after the Chief Electoral Office (CEO) wrote to the government suggesting a postponement of the polls until the completion of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The final publication of the updated rolls is scheduled for February 7, 2026.
Chief Electoral Officer Sanjay Goel had earlier stated that the notification for the ZP elections had not yet been issued and that the government’s response to the CEO’s request was awaited.
However, State Election Commissioner Menino D’Souza confirmed that the elections will proceed as planned. “There is time for the notification to be issued. We will release the schedule soon,” he said, indicating no changes in the electoral timeline.
According to sources, the government is likely to assign officials who are not currently engaged in the SIR process to handle election duties. “The term of the existing ZP body ends in the first week of January. It is important that the new members are elected and assume charge before the term concludes,” an official said.
The CEO has advised the government to ensure that, if the elections coincide with the SIR, separate officers are appointed as returning officers to avoid disruption of the revision work.
SEC has already appointed Deputy Collectors and Mamlatdars as the Returning Officers and Assistant Returning Officers for the polls.
