PANJIM: St Cruz MLA Atanasio (Babush) Monserrate has approached the High Court seeking a direction to the State Election Commission and DMA to notify the delimitation and reservation of Panjim wards 30 days prior to the nomination for the CCP elections.
The petitioners – Monserrate, Krishna Shirodkar alias Milind and Prajyot Vaigankar have alleged that the State has failed to abide by the Constitution by delaying the mandatory processes. They have sought declaring the delimitation and reservation latest by Dec-end as against SEC’s recent statement to complete the process by January-end.
“Free and fair elections are a pre-requisite of any democratically elected body and hence it is obligatory for the SEC and DMA to declare/notify the delimitation and reservation of wards if any at least 30 days prior to the nomination date for the CCP elections,” the writ petition states.
The petitioners alleged that the State was delaying the process as it apprehends defeat in the upcoming civic polls while submitting that SEC resorted to delay tactics to get undue advantage over other candidates in the past.
“The respondent number 1 (State government) has realized that their present councillors in the CCP do not have chance to get re-elected in the event of the notification of the delimitation of wards and reservation of seats are determined and therefore has resorted to chicanery and subterfuges to illegally delay the election process by using desperate and unlawful means,” the petition states.
They stated that the contesting candidates – who had already begun campaigning – were shocked to realise that the ward from which they were intending to contest was a reserved ward.
The reservation of seats for the SC/ST/OBC and women, the petitioners seek should be 30 days prior to the filing of nomination.
Reiterating that he will fight the polls alone, Monserrate told a section of the media that the writ petition was necessary for a fair election.
“There is apprehension in the minds of the candidates that they will not get enough time before filing the nomination. This is the reason we sought the High Court’s intervention,” he said, adding there was no chance his panel would contest the elections on a seat-sharing basis.
