Team Goemkarponn
MARGAO: The United Tribal Associations Alliance (UTAA) is preparing to intensify its campaign for political reservation for Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities in Goa, with a meeting scheduled in Margao on October 31 to decide its response if the issue remains unresolved before the 2027 Assembly elections.
UTAA chief Prakash Velip has called on Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to continue pressing the Election Commission of India (ECI) for action, maintaining that the state government must remain involved until the matter reaches a conclusion.
Velip said UTAA does not have direct access to the ECI and therefore expects the Chief Minister to take up the community’s concerns with the Commission. He also claimed that some information needed by the ECI had not been furnished by the government. The organisation is still hopeful of progress within the next month, he said.
Advocate John Fernandes, a UTAA leader, warned that the community would resist any outcome that prevents STs from securing political reservation in the 2027 elections. He described the demand as a constitutional entitlement and used the term “seat chori” to express the community’s concerns over the possibility of being denied reserved representation.
UTAA has invited tribal representatives from across the state, including elected panchayat members, sarpanches, municipal councillors, MLAs and its own activists, to participate in the October 31 gathering. Velip said the meeting would help determine the organisation’s future course before a broader public awareness campaign begins.
The organisation has also raised questions over government spending on events associated with tribal communities. Velip questioned the reported expenditure of ₹4.41 crore on Prerna Diwas at Ambaulim, an observance held in memory of tribal youths Dilip Velip and Manguesh Gaonkar. He said UTAA had conducted the programme independently since 2012.
UTAA has separately criticised the reported ₹8 crore planned expenditure for Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas, scheduled for November 15 in honour of tribal freedom fighter Bhagwan Birsa Munda. Velip said that while commemorating tribal icons was important, funds earmarked for tribal development should focus on the welfare of economically disadvantaged members of the community.
