Panaji: A section of BJP members in Goa is pushing for a rotation-based system for constituencies reserved for the Scheduled Tribe (ST) community, triggering an internal debate ahead of the 2027 assembly elections.Chief minister Pramod Sawant, however, sought to downplay the discontent, saying the party welcomed ST political reservation and had resolved the concerns. “It is a family issue, and we have resolved it,” Sawant said.Sawant, BJP state president Damodar Naik and social welfare minister Subhash Phal Dessai met BJP members from Sanguem who had raised concerns over the reservation. Sawant said there was no confusion within BJP on the issue.Dessai said Sawant had heard the grievances of Sanguem members and cleared the misunderstanding. He also said he had never announced that he would contest from Curchorem, which had led to confusion among party members.Sawant said Sanguem members were concerned because the constituency was expected to be reserved for STs. “Party will not do injustice to Dessai, and the right decision at the right time will be taken on the political future of Dessai,” he said.A Sanguem BJP member said the party had clarified that the reservation had not yet been finalised. “If the Sanguem seat is reserved, then we will think of a future course of action,” the member said.BJP member Navnath Naik said that permanently reserving the same constituencies could prevent members of other communities from contesting from those seats for generations.“Once the constituency is reserved like Pernem (reserve for SC), other communities will be left out from contesting election in those constituencies. In democracy, people will vote for the person who works for them. This is a permanent issue, and not one- or two-day issue,” Navnath said.BJP members backing rotation said it would provide more equitable opportunities for political representation across communities while retaining the constitutional objective of ST reservation.The demand could put BJP in a difficult position as it seeks to balance the interests of ST voters and representatives with those of other communities aspiring to contest from the reserved constituencies.
