The current fiasco in the delimitation and reservation of Municipal wards across Goa including that of the Corporation of the City of Panaji amounts to an absolute fraud on the democratic process and the rule of law. It is an absolute daunting mockery of the electoral process. All this does not augur well with the State Election Commission having abdicated its bounden responsibility and its autonomy gone for a toss.
The admission by the government that there is no set procedure and guidelines while undertaking the process of delimitation and reservation of wards is very disturbing and alarming. The only inference that can be drawn is that everything done was politically manipulated. All this is totally unacceptable and must be strongly condemned.
Those involved in these blatant illegalities must be ruthlessly punished for this planned assault on the democratic process that ought to have been done through a laid down very transparent process and strictly in accordance with law.
It is imperative that the proper rules and guidelines must be immediately framed and this delimitation and reservation process will have to be properly done all over again by firmly following the law and with no political intervention whatsoever. Only after all this is done, the elections to the Municipal councils and the CCP must be conducted.
