Set to hold civic polls by March-end, SEC tells High Court

Team Herald

PANJIM: Goa State Election Commission (GSEC) is set to hold elections to the 11 municipal councils and Corporation of City of Panaji (CCP) by March-end. The SEC, through its Secretary Melvyn Anthony Vaz, made the submission before the High Court of Bombay at Goa, which is hearing multiple petitions challenging reservation of municipal council wards.

The SEC affidavit, copy of which is exclusively available with Herald, also states that the voters list in the concerned municipalities and CCP is likely to be published in the third week of February followed by the election.

“The voters list is likely to be published and displayed in the concerned municipalities, Corporation of City of Panaji, and concerned village panchayats by third week of February 2021. After the publication of voters list, the GSEC would issue a notification declaring the programme of elections in consultation with the government. Elaborate arrangements are being made by the GSEC so as to ensure that the elections would be held and completed before March 31, 2021,” states the 4-page affidavit in reply to a petition by Dharmesh Saglani and others seeking mandamus to the authorities to initiate the process for holding elections to the vacant seat of the Councillor for Ward IX of Sankhali Municipal Council. 

The petitioners have also challenged the notification dated January 14, 2021 and prayed for Mandamus for appointment of administrator to the Council. The GSEC’s notification was on postponing the elections to 11 municipal councils, CCP, by-elections to different wards of different village panchayats in the State and the election to the zilla panchayat constituency of Navelim for a period of three months, that is, till April 2021 or to any other date which could be determined by the Election Commission based on the prevailing circumstances. 

Pending hearing and disposal of the petition, the petitioners further prayed to the high court for an order restraining the chairperson of the council from taking any major financial or policy decisions.

The notification, GSEC said was issued as the officers involved in the elections, including the returning officers and assistant returning officers, working as deputy collectors and mamlatdars would be engaged in the management of COVID-19 vaccination pan-Goa in January-February 2021. The Election Commission, Vaz said, was also concerned with the Code of Conduct and the restraints on the development works during the period the code of conduct would remain in force. 

“After the vaccination drive was successfully launched in the State, the GSEC re-considered the issue of holding elections to the 11 municipal councils, CCP, by-elections to different wards of different village panchayats in the State, the election to the zilla panchayat constituency Navelim and Ward IX of Sankhali Municipal Council. In the meanwhile, Director of Urban Development/Municipal Administration issued orders for reservation of seats in respect to the municipalities, providing for reservation of seats for women, scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and other backward classes on February 4, 2021,” the affidavit states.

The Urban Development also issued delimitation orders in respect of all the municipalities and the CCP. 

Vaz further informed the court that as all the pending elections are being held together in March, nothing would survive in the present petition.