Congress moves SC against cancellation of Goa’s Ponda bypoll

The Opposition Congress has approached the Supreme Court of India challenging the last-minute cancellation of the Ponda Assembly by-election in Goa, party leader Girish Chodankar said on Monday. Congress candidate Dr Ketan Bhatikar has filed a Special Leave Petition against the order of the Bombay High Court (Goa bench), which quashed the poll a day before voting. The matter is likely to be listed this week.

The by-election, scheduled for April 9, was necessitated by the death of BJP MLA Ravi Naik on October 15, 2025. However, on April 8, the High Court set aside the notification issued by the Election Commission of India , effectively cancelling the election despite preparations being complete and postal ballots already cast.

The court based its decision on Section 151A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 , which requires bypolls to be held within six months unless the remaining term of the Assembly is less than one year. With the Goa Assembly’s term ending on March 14, 2027, the result due on May 4 would have left the winning MLA with barely nine months in office. The court held that proceeding with the election under such circumstances was not legally warranted. The ruling also aligns with Article 172 of the Constitution of India and the framework of Article 324 of the Constitution of India .

Chodankar alleged that the cancellation denied voters their democratic right and accused the BJP of influencing the process out of fear of defeat, while the ruling party termed the High Court’s decision “shocking.”