New Delhi, Aug 5: The Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed the long-pending Bill to provide reservation for Scheduled Tribes (STs) in the Goa Legislative Assembly, even as Opposition protests over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar continued to disrupt proceedings.

The legislation, titled 'The Readjustment of Representation of Scheduled Tribes in Assembly Constituencies of the State of Goa Bill, 2025', was moved for consideration and passage by Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal.

Despite the din in the House, the Bill was adopted through a voice vote, marking the first legislative success of the on-going Monsoon Session.

The Bill seeks to correct a long-standing anomaly in Goa’s electoral representation.

As per the 2011 Census, the Scheduled Tribe population in Goa stood at 1,49,275 — significantly higher than the Scheduled Caste population of 25,449.

Yet, while one seat in the 40-member Assembly is reserved for SCs, none had been allocated for STs.

The Bill empowers the Election Commission to amend the Delimitation of Parliamentary and Assembly Constituencies Order, 2008, to ensure fair representation for ST communities based on updated demographic data.

The legislation had originally been introduced in the Lok Sabha on August 5, 2024, and had remained pending for a full year.

Its passage comes after an Union Cabinet approval earlier this year and is expected to pave the way for constitutional benefits and political inclusion of Goa’s tribal communities, including the Kunbi, Gawda, and Velip groups, which were added to the ST list in 2003.

However, the session was far from smooth as Opposition MPs from the INDIA Bloc continued to raise slogans demanding a structured debate on the SIR of electoral rolls in Bihar.

The revision exercise, ordered by the Election Commission ahead of the state’s Assembly elections, has triggered controversy over alleged voter deletions and irregularities.

Opposition members kept on shouting slogans such as “SIR par charcha ho” and “Vote ki chori nahi chalegi” forcing multiple interventions from the Chair.

After the Bill’s passage, proceedings were adjourned for the day by Sandhya Ray, who was in the Chair, as protests showed no signs of abating.

The Monsoon Session continues to be overshadowed by procedural deadlock, with critical legislative business hanging in the balance amid deepening political fault lines.

(IANS)

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