PANAJI: The state assembly on Thursday passed the Goa Municipalities (Amendment) Bill, 2021, paving the way to increase wards and to declare reservation of seats at least seven days before the date of notification of the general elections.
In December, the government informed the high court of Bombay at Goa that the notifications for delimitation and reservation of seats will be issued by the appropriate authorities, at least three weeks prior to the date of the notification of the schedule for municipal elections.
Chief minister Pramod Sawant said that in five municipalities, there is an increase in voters, and that is the reason the bill was introduced.
Opposition leader Digambar Kamat said that if voters have increased, then it would have increased in all municipalities. Kamat said that the high court has issued an order that the order of delimitation and reservation should be issued 21 days before the notification of election. “Are you trying to supersede the high court order,” he said.
Replying to Kamat, Sawant said that the state government does not want to overrule the high court order. “Whatever high court has said, we will go by that,” he said.
Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai said that the state government should not challenge the high court.