Team Herald
PANJIM: Some of the components of Comunidade of Serula have taken strong exception to the election of its new managing committee by ‘show of hands’ and have demanded fresh election.
One of the components Shankar Phadte said that he has filed a writ petition in the High Court of Bombay praying to quash and set aside the entire election of the managing committee elected for three years 2025-2028 and to declare the elections as illegal and null and void. He said that the ‘show of hands’ had amounted to a denial of free and fair elections and it was violative of Articles 14, 19 and 21 of the Constitution.
Phadte and two others have prayed that the North Goa Collector and the Administrator of Comunidades, North Zone, Mapusa be directed to hold fresh elections for the managing committee and to restrain the new committee from participating or from taking part in any administrative and financial decisions in the affairs of the Comunidade of Serula till the pendency of the present petition.
The State government, Secretary (Revenue), North Goa Collector, Administrator of Comunidades, North Zone,) and newly elected president, attorney and treasurer and the substitute committee members have been made respondents.
The elections to elect the new managing committee was held on January 12, 2025. According to Phadte, the presiding officer failed to make a distinction between an 'open ballot; and 'show of hands' methods of voting. In open ballot, choices of voters are made known to the members or are accessible to designated individuals only. This method only ensures accountability and transparency as voters decision are not anonymous. ‘Open ballot’ is also contemplated under the Code of Comunidade, he pointed out.
Also the Administrator of Comunidades and the Comunidade of Serula had also not displayed the voters list before notifying elections and even after notifying elections the voters list was not made available to the components. Therefore the entire election was not held as per the procedure prescribed, Phadte claimed.