Goa Zilla Panchayat elections on December 20: 8.68 lakh voters to decide 50 seats as MCC comes into force

Goa will elect its new Zilla Panchayats (ZP) on December 20, 2025, with the State Election Commission of India (ECI) announcing the schedule for polls to 50 constituencies across North and South Goa. According to the ECI, a total of 8.68 lakh voters are eligible to cast their ballots, as the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) comes into immediate effect across all ZP jurisdictions.

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The Commission has also released updated electoral rolls, finalised the reservation of seats, and deployed observers and enforcement teams to ensure smooth and transparent polling.

According to the ECI, the electoral roll adopted from the Goa Legislative Assembly rolls is as of January 1, 2025. There are nine reserved seats for women, seven for OBCs, and one for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) in North Goa. In South Goa, ten seats are reserved for women, six for OBCs, and five for STs. There are a total of 1,284 polling booths, with 658 in North Goa and 626 in South Goa.

Voting will be conducted by ballot, as per the Election Commission. A total of 8,68,637 voters will exercise their right on December 20, comprising 420431 male voters and 448201 females. According to the poll body, “The candidates can file their nominations between December 1-9. The scrutiny of nominations will be held on December 10.”