Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji

Panaji, Apr 13: The Opposition Congress has approached the Supreme Court challenging the cancellation of the Ponda Assembly seat by-election in Goa, party leader Girish Chodankar said on Monday.

Congress candidate Dr Ketan Bhatikar has filed a Special Leave Petition in the apex court against the order of the Bombay High Court, which had quashed the bypoll notification, Chodankar told PTI.

The by-election, necessitated by the death of BJP MLA Ravi Naik on October 15, 2025, was scheduled to be held on April 9.

The Goa bench of the Bombay High Court on April 8 set aside the Election Commission of India notification, citing violation of provisions under the Representation of the People Act, as less than one year remains for the current Goa Legislative Assembly’s term, which ends on March 14, 2027.

The court was hearing petitions filed by two registered voters who argued that conducting the bypoll with less than a year left in the Assembly’s tenure was not valid. The court observed that since the results would have been declared on May 4, the winning candidate would have had a tenure of only around nine months.

Chodankar alleged that the cancellation reflected misuse of constitutional institutions, claiming it was driven by fear of electoral defeat.

“The people of Ponda deserved to vote and elect their MLA. Campaigns were completed, ballots were issued and candidates were ready, but just 16 hours before polling, the election was cancelled,” he said.

He further criticised the Election Commission for not appealing the High Court order, calling it a setback to democratic processes.

The bypoll was cancelled last week despite postal ballots having already been cast, as the High Court declined to stay its own judgment.

While the ruling BJP termed the decision “shocking”, the Congress accused it of colluding with the Election Commission to delay the notification and eventually stall the election.