Panaji, April 8 – The Election Commission of India (ECI) abruptly scrapped the entire process of the by-election to Goa's 21-Ponda Assembly Constituency on Wednesday, just a day before the polling was scheduled.
The Commission issued a fresh notification formally rescinding its earlier order of March 16, 2026, after the Bombay High Court at Goa declared that order "null and void." The by-election was called to fill the vacancy caused by the death of sitting MLA Ravi Naik on October 15, 2025.
The ECI had fixed April 9, 2026, as the polling date and notified the full election schedule under the Representation of the People Act. Nominations, scrutiny, and other preparatory steps had already been completed by the Returning Officer and District Election authorities.
However, on April 8, 2026, the High Court, while hearing writ petitions and a miscellaneous civil application in a writ petition, struck down the Commission's March 16 notification. Acting swiftly on the court order, the ECI issued a notification on Wednesday, rescinding the earlier one.
All actions taken by the Returning Officer, District Election Officer, and other electoral authorities in pursuance of the cancelled notification have also been declared null and void.
In an official communication to the Chief Electoral Officer, Goa, Under Secretary M. L. Meena directed immediate publication of the rescinding notification in an extraordinary issue of the Goa Government Gazette on April 8 itself.
The sudden cancellation has thrown the political calendar in Ponda into uncertainty. The constituency, which was set to witness a keenly contested by-poll, will now remain vacant until the Commission issues a fresh notification after complying with the High Court's directions.
The development is being seen as a major setback for the electoral machinery, which had already invested considerable resources in conducting the by-election within the tight timeline. Political parties in Goa are now awaiting the ECI's next course of action.