ST reservation proposal faces pushback from Maratha Samaj

Margao: Days after chief minister Pramod Sawant assured political reservation for Scheduled Tribes (STs) ahead of the 2027 assembly elections, the Akhil Gomantak Kshatriya Maratha Samaj (AGKMS) has expressed strong reservations over the move, calling it “leader-centric” rather than “community-centric”.

In a memorandum submitted to state BJP president Damodar Naik and Sawant, the community expressed concern that the proposed reservation pattern is flawed, regionally skewed and unfair to general-category voters.

AGKMS, which claims to represent over 20% of Goa’s population, said the move could sideline capable people from the general category and create divisions among communities. While supporting justice for the ST community, it said such measures should not result in injustice to others.

The objection follows reports that govt is considering reserving the constituencies of Canacona, Quepem, Sanguem and Priol for ST candidates in 2027. AGKMS argued that the proposal is disproportionately weighted towards South Goa, with three of the four constituencies located in the Kushavati district and only one in North Goa.

The organisation also questioned the use of 2011 Census data for determining political reservation, arguing that doing so before the completion of the ongoing Census process would be inconsistent with constitutional principles under Article 332.

Among its key demands, AGKMS has sought postponement of the notification of ST-reserved constituencies until updated population data becomes available. It has also called for an all-party, all-community committee to review the distribution of reserved seats, ensure balanced district-wise allocation, and restrict reservations to four constituencies in line with population ratios.

The Samaj further demanded a rotation system for both SC and ST reserved seats, arguing that long-term reservation of constituencies such as Pernem has limited political opportunities for general-category candidates.