Panaji: The Goa state election commission has issued a fresh notification redrawing the boundaries of wards for elections to 11 municipal councils, following a directive from Bombay high court.State election commissioner Menino D’Souza issued the notification under the Goa Municipalities Act, 1968, after the high court quashed and set aside the commission’s earlier delimitation notification dated Sept 9. The court’s ruling was delivered on Oct 9 in response to a writ petition.The fresh delimitation exercise covers upcoming general elections for eleven municipal bodies across North and South Goa: the Mormugao, Margao, Mapusa, Curchorem-Cacora, Bicholim, Cuncolim, Quepem, Canacona, Valpoi, Pernem, and Sanguem municipal councils. The fresh notification complies with the judicial directives and statutory provisions required to restructure the municipal wards.The court found that the SEC finalised and notified the ward boundaries without completing the mandatory consultation with Goa govt, as required under Section 10(3) of the Goa Municipalities Act, 1968.The delimitation exercise had begun with the publication of a draft on July 24 followed by a 30-day period for filing objections.The elections for Bicholim, Pernem, Valpoi, Cuncolim, Curchorem-Cacora, and Canacona were conducted in March 2021, and for Mapusa, Margao, Quepem, Sanguem and Mormugao, they were held in April 2021. With the municipal polls delayed, govt appointed administrators in municipal councils.BJP MLAs were worried that if the municipal polls were held just before the assembly elections, resentment within the party ranks and among supporters could affect their re-election.For reservation of wards, SEC is completely dependent on Goa state commission for backward classes (GSCBC).
