Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: The United Tribal Associations Alliance (UTAA) will hold a tribal convention at Mardol on August 13 after its proposed protest at Azad Maidan was denied permission.
The alliance has decided to change the nature of the programme from a protest to a tribal melava, while maintaining its demand for the early completion of the Scheduled Tribe political reservation process in Goa.
The decision follows a meeting between tribal representatives, including Priol MLA Govind Gaude and UTAA President Prakash Velip, and Chief Minister Pramod Sawant. The delegation urged the government to move quickly, pointing to the limited time remaining before the 2027 Assembly elections.
Gaude said the delegation sought an update on the steps already taken and urged the Chief Minister to give the process greater priority. He also confirmed that the August 13 programme would take place as scheduled.
Velip said the alliance chose not to proceed with a protest because the government has already initiated the reservation process. He said the Mardol convention would instead provide a platform to discuss wider concerns of the tribal community and press for faster implementation of political reservation.
Velip expressed confidence that ST reservation would be in place before the 2027 elections and said four Assembly constituencies are likely to be reserved for ST candidates.
The government has already activated the Goa Readjustment of Representation of Scheduled Tribes in Assembly Constituencies Act, 2025, marking the beginning of the statutory process required for reserving Assembly seats for Scheduled Tribe candidates.
