BJP leaders submit memorandum to Sanjay Goel
Special Correspondent
Panaji: Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) and secretary (election) Sanjay Goel on Monday said the implementation of scheduled tribe (ST) reservation in the Goa Assembly is dependent on further directions from the central government and the Election Commission of India (ECI).
The statement came after state BJP leaders submitted a memorandum to the CEO seeking the urgent implementation of ST quota in the House, ahead of the 2027 Assembly polls.
Goel said the central government will decide the date on which the notification regarding ST reservation will be issued, and that the Election Department is currently awaiting instructions from both the Centre and the ECI.
He further stated that the timeframe for the implementation of the ST Reservation Act will be determined by the process and schedule prescribed by the Centre and the ECI.
The BJP urged the ECI and the Centre to expedite the delimitation process and ensure political representation for Goan tribal community.
In the memorandum, state BJP president Damu Naik said the ST community, despite being a significant section of Goa’s population, continues to remain without reserved representation in the 40-member Assembly.
Referring to the legislation that received presidential assent last year for the readjustment of representation of scheduled tribes in the Goa
legislative Assembly, Naik said the process now awaits notification of the “appointed date” by the central government to begin the delimitation exercise.
The BJP urged the CEO to co-ordinate with the ECI and the Ministry of Home Affairs to facilitate the issuance of the notification and ensure that demographic and census-related data required for the exercise are kept ready.
Furthermore, Naik said that implementing ST reservation before the next Assembly elections is a matter of social justice and democratic inclusion.
He cautioned that any delay could deny the tribal community its constitutionally mandated representation for another five years.
The BJP delegation included Govind Parvatkar, Mohan Gaonkar, Anjali Velip, Dhaku Madkaikar, Pundalik Raut Desai, Siddharth Kunkalienkar and Shubham Mhapsekar.
