Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: The implementation of political reservation for Scheduled Tribes (STs) in the Goa Legislative Assembly has officially entered its next phase after the Central Government brought into force the Readjustment of Representation of Scheduled Tribes in Assembly Constituencies of the State of Goa Act, 2025.
The Union Ministry of Law and Justice notified the Act with effect from August 6, 2026, activating the legal framework required to reserve four Assembly constituencies for Scheduled Tribe candidates before the 2027 Goa Assembly elections.
Although the legislation is now operational, the reservation of constituencies will not take place immediately. A statutory process involving multiple authorities must be completed before the Election Commission of India issues the final notification.
Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant said the first stage will be the appointment of a Census Commissioner by the Central Government. The Commissioner will assess and verify the Scheduled Tribe population in Goa as required under the Act.
Based on this exercise, the eligible Assembly constituencies will be identified according to their ST population. A draft proposal will then be published, allowing members of the public to submit objections and suggestions before the plan is finalised.
After considering the feedback, the proposal will be forwarded to the Election Commission of India, which will formally notify the constituencies to be reserved for Scheduled Tribe candidates.
Welcoming the notification, Sawant said it fulfils a long-pending commitment to Goa’s tribal communities and marks the beginning of the implementation process. He also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for facilitating the legislation.
The notification comes at a politically significant time, with Scheduled Tribe organisations having announced an agitation over the delay in implementing Assembly reservation.
The Act was enacted to provide political reservation for Scheduled Tribes in Goa without waiting for the next nationwide delimitation exercise. Instead, it creates a separate mechanism for identifying constituencies eligible for reservation based on the Scheduled Tribe population.
While names of constituencies such as Priol, Sanguem, Quepem and Nuvem have been discussed in political circles, no constituency has been officially earmarked. The final list will emerge only after the statutory process is completed and the Election Commission issues its notification.
Goa’s 40-member Legislative Assembly currently has one seat reserved for the Scheduled Castes and none for the Scheduled Tribes. Once the process is completed, four Assembly constituencies are expected to be reserved for ST candidates from the 2027 elections onward.
