The State Election Commission, in its affidavit filed before the Bombay High Court at Goa, has said that its intentions were to hold elections well before the expiry of the current term of the panchayats.
PANAJI
The affidavit filed on Thursday, while opposing any “challenge to the election process” on grounds that it will frustrate efforts of the State Election Commission and the government in holding timely elections, has however listed out what its original plans were.
“Goa State Election Commission proposed to the Director of Panchayats to hold general elections to the 185 village panchayats on May 21, 2017. If elections were to be held on May 21, as suggested the new panchayat bodies would have been constituted well within time as required under the constitution,” the affidavit reads.
However, the SEC has said that despite several reminders the outer date given to the Director of Panchayats for the purpose of delimitation -- March 31, 2017 -- was already over.
According to the Goa Panchayat Raj Act, 1994 and the rules framed thereunder, the exercise of delimitation and constitution of wards is to be performed by the director of panchayats also with reservations, etc.
Two petitions are before the High Court -- one challenging the State government’s decision to hold panchayat elections after the expiry of the term and another petition challenging the fact that the delimitation process is done by the director of panchayats and not the election commission.
