Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji

Panaji, Mar 16: The Election Commission of India on Sunday announced that the by-election to the Ponda Assembly constituency will be held on April 9, with counting of votes scheduled for May 4.

The seat fell vacant following the death of former minister Ravi Naik on October 15 last year, necessitating the by-poll in the constituency.

After the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, the Ponda constituency now has 27,927 eligible voters. The figure marks a notable decline from the 32,157 valid voters recorded during the 2022 Goa Legislative Assembly election.

The by-poll in Ponda will be conducted along with Assembly by-elections in parts of Gujarat, Karnataka, Nagaland and Tripura, as per the schedule announced by the poll body. With the announcement, the model code of conduct has come into force in the constituency.

The nomination process will begin from Monday, March 16, while the last date for filing nominations is March 23. Scrutiny of nominations will be followed by the withdrawal process scheduled for March 26.

Meanwhile, political activity has already gathered pace in the constituency. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party said it has shortlisted two potential candidates from the constituency and forwarded their names to the party’s central leadership for final approval.

The announcement of the election schedule is expected to intensify campaigning in Ponda, with major political parties likely to finalise candidates and mobilise party workers in the coming days.