After SC order on OBC quota in local bodies, Goa govt to seek legal opinion on panchayat polls

Panaji: The Goa government will seek legal opinion from the advocate general on holding panchayat polls in light of a recent judgment of the Supreme Court related to OBC quota in local bodies, state panchayat minister Mauvin Godinho said on Monday.

The tenure of these panchayats culminates on June 19 and the state government is keen that elections are held soon, he added.

On May 10, the Supreme Court had held that no reservation for Other Backward Classes can be provisioned until the triple test formality, including setting up a dedicated commission to conduct a contemporaneous rigorous empirical inquiry into the nature and implications of the backwardness qua local bodies within the state, is followed ”in all respects”.

”The dates for the panchayat polls will be declared only after the legal opinion is taken from state advocate general Devidas Pangam. The SC order of May 10 says all seats reserved for OBCs will have to be identified by the state OBC commission,” minister Godinho said.

He added that an administrator can be appointed in case the tenure of a panchayat expires, but even in that case polls must be held within six months of such an appointment.