Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: The High Court of Bombay at Goa has issued notice to the Goa State Election Commission (SEC) after a petition challenged the State government’s decision to reserve the Anjuna Zilla Panchayat (ZP) constituency in North Goa for the Other Backward Classes (OBC). The notice seeks the SEC’s response on the legality and rationale of the reservation notified on November 6.
The petition argues that Anjuna was reserved for women in the 2020 ZP elections and that the shift to OBC reservation in the new cycle lacks justification. The High Court will hear the matter on Saturday, placing the reservation roster under judicial scrutiny just weeks before the December 13 polls.
The challenged notification outlines the reservation framework for all 50 ZP constituencies across the State, with 20 seats earmarked for OBC, Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Scheduled Caste (SC) categories, and 18 seats — nine in each district — reserved for women, including those from OBC and ST communities.
ZP elections will be held on party lines, with 25 seats each in North and South Goa. The State Election Commission is expected to release the formal poll schedule later this week, after which the Model Code of Conduct will come into force.
Under the current reservation pattern, 13 constituencies are reserved for OBC candidates — seven in North Goa and six in South Goa. Six seats are designated for ST candidates (five in North, one in South), while the Querim constituency in North Goa is the lone seat reserved for the SC category.
The petition contends that the new reservation matrix may not adhere to legal norms, specifically questioning whether the State followed mandated criteria and rotation principles while reserving seats. The High Court’s notice to the SEC sets the stage for a crucial examination of the reservation process ahead of the ZP elections.
