PANAJI
Political activity is gathering pace in Goa amid growing speculation that the next Assembly elections, due by February 2027, could be advanced by a month or two to avoid clashing with the nationwide Census exercise scheduled around the same period.
Sources said both the BJP and Congress have begun strengthening their organisational networks and election preparedness in anticipation of a possible early poll announcement, although no decision has been taken by the Election Commission of India. While BJP senior leaders are making rounds in Delhi, Congress is set to announce the new PCC, election committees, shortly.
According to sources, logistical considerations linked to the Census are driving the discussions. The nationwide Census process is being held in two phases. While the house-listing exercise has already been completed in Goa, the population enumeration phase, which will also include caste-based data collection, is scheduled for February 2027.
The Census operation in Goa is expected to require around 3,000 enumerators, including government officials and teachers, while Assembly elections would need nearly 10,000 personnel for polling and related duties.
“Managing both exercises simultaneously will place enormous pressure on the administration. Elections should ideally be held a month or two before the Census begins,” sources said.
Sources in the Directorate of Census Operations (DCO) said there would be no change in the Census schedule as it is a nationwide exercise being carried out uniformly across the country.
“If elections are due during that period, they may have to be rescheduled. However, the final decision rests with the Election Commission,” sources added.
Political circles in Goa are already discussing the possibility of advancing the polls to December 2026. BJP leaders are understood to have informally favoured an earlier election to ensure that administrative machinery remains available for Census duties.
“We also need to ensure that the Model Code of Conduct does not coincide with the Christmas and New Year season, which is both a major festive period and Goa's peak tourism season. All possibilities will have to be examined. Polls by the end of November also cannot be ruled out,” a senior BJP leader said.
The speculation is not entirely new. Earlier, Goa Forward Party chief and Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai had publicly suggested that the Goa Assembly elections could be held in December 2026 in view of the Census schedule.
Besides Goa, states such as Punjab, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, whose Assembly terms are also due to end around the same period, are witnessing similar discussions over the possibility of early elections.
