PANAJI
A Mapusa resident has moved the High Court of Bombay at Goa over the alleged delay in municipal elections at 11 councils.
In a writ petition, Shitesh More, 30, has sought the quashing of the State government’s recently promulgated Goa Municipalities (Amendment) Ordinance, 2026, calling it an unconstitutional attempt to postpone polls to 11 municipal councils and prolong rule through appointed administrators.
The petitioner also attacked the State’s decision to enact the ordinance after the municipal councils' tenure had already expired, alleging that the move is a colourable exercise of power designed to derail the democratic process.
The plea contended that the ordinance, promulgated by the Governor on April 22 and published in the Official Gazette on April 23, was issued in violation of Article 243U of the Constitution, which mandates that elections to constitute a municipality must be completed before the expiry of its five-year term.
“It is most respectfully stated that the Impugned Ordinance has been promulgated at the eleventh hour, when the tenure of the Municipal Councils had already expired and administrators were appointed to manage functions of the respective Municipal Councils and is therefore a colourable exercise of power intended to delay elections and continue administrative control over municipal bodies through appointed administrators,” it said.
Being a voter in the Mapusa Municipal Council jurisdiction, More also sought urgent directions from the court to hold time-bound elections to the 11 municipal councils of Mapusa, Margao, Ponda, Mormugao, Quepem, Bicholim, Pernem, Valpoi, Cuncolim, Curchorem, and Canacona, using the pre-existing delimitation and electoral framework.
The petition pointed out that the councils had been constituted following elections held in March and April 2021 in two phases, and their five-year terms expired in March-April this year. Under the Constitution, fresh elections ought to have been completed before the expiry of that term.
Among other reliefs, More also sought to declare the ordinance inapplicable to these 11 municipal councils, and direct the authorities to immediately initiate and complete the election process within a fixed timeline.
