The “Mull Goenkars” (original Goans, as the tribal people of Goa are famously known in the State) may finally get guaranteed representation in the State Assembly soon as the government is amenable to their demand for reserved constituencies for Scheduled Tribes (STs), after a decades-long battle. With the State Assembly election scheduled for early next year, this decision will have a significant impact on the State’s sociopolitical scenario.

Former Chief Minister and current Public Works Department Minister Digambar Kamat said on June 4 that he and his party were fully in support of the demand for reserved constituencies for STs in the State. Prior to this, a delegation of former and incumbent tribal MLAs and Ministers, apart from tribal leaders, met BJP State chief Damu Naik and demanded that he pursue the matter with the Centre. Former Minister and MLA Prakash Velip, who is active in the Goa BJP and is also associated with the United Tribal Associations Alliance, was also part of the delegation.

After the meeting he told Frontline: “We are waiting for the notification from the Central government. If Goa’s authorities failed to pursue the matter, we will meet Home Minister Amit Shah to demand the reservation for tribal communities.”

It is clear that the BJP leadership has realised it cannot delay action on the demand of the tribal people. Sources told Frontline that the decision is likely to be taken in a few weeks.

On August 5, 2024, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal had introduced the Readjustment of Representation of Scheduled Tribes in Assembly Constituencies of the State of Goa Bill, 2024, in the Lok Sabha, which would empower the Census Commissioner to “ascertain or estimate” the population of STs in Goa and enable the Election Commission of India (ECI) to readjust the seats in the Goa Assembly and reserve seats for STs accordingly.

The Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha on August 5, 2025, and in the Rajya Sabha on August 11, 2025. However, the Central government has not yet issued the notification of implementation of the law. The Centre has to appoint the Census Commissioner under the Census Act of 1948. The Census Commissioner will determine the population and recommend that the ECI notify reservation for STs in the Assembly. After that, the ECI will call for public objections and suggestions for delimitation. This process will take at least three months after the notification.

Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, while talking to mediapersons, said: “The demand for tribals of Goa is rightful, and we are actively pursuing the matter with the authorities.”

A forum named Mission Political Reservation for Scheduled Tribes in Goa, formed in 2022, began voicing the need for ST reservation in the Assembly. Its president John Fernandes and member Ravindra Velip mobilised youths on the ground and also fought legal battles.

Ravindra Velip said: “We are happy that the decisive step towards ST reservation in Goa is now being taken. We have been actively demanding it for 25 years under different banners. It should have come in 2017 itself. Now, with the representation, other issues of tribal communities will get a voice in the House.”

Goa’s tribes and ST status

The Goa Assembly has 40 members. Only one of the 40 constituencies, namely Pernem, is a reserved one (for Scheduled Castes). Since there was no clarity in the past about who constituted Goa’s tribal population, there was no recognition for them as STs and consequently, no reservation either.

In the 1980s, leaders from four tribes, namely Gauda, Kunabi, Velip, and Dhangar, formed a forum called Mull Goenkarancho Ekvott and began pushing the demand to be recognised as STs.

In 2003, the National Democratic Alliance government accorded ST status to the Gauda, Kunabi, and Velip communities but excluded the Dhangar (shepherd) community. The Dhangars are also present in Maharashtra under the same name and in Karnataka they are known as Kurubas. The Dhangars are largely located in the erstwhile Sattari Assembly constituency, which was then represented by Pratapsingh Rane, whose son Vishwajit Rane is the current Health Minister.

The ST status for Gauda, Kunabi, and Velip groups helped the BJP enter the Salcete area of Goa and it was politically seen as BJP’s “Salcete mission”. Until then, the Salcete area was a Congress bastion, with Catholics and tribal people supporting the grand old party. By separating the tribal voters from the Catholics, the BJP was able to storm Salcete.

In Census 2011, the Goa’s tribal population was properly counted and it was found that a total number of 1,49,275 tribal people reside in the State, accounting for 10.23 per cent of Goa’s population of 14,58,545. On the basis of this number, the tribal leaders are demanding a 10 per cent reservation in the Assembly, which, if accepted, would result in four seats reserved for STs.

Sources in the Goa administration as well as in the ECI told Frontline that the four constituencies of Priol, Nuvem, Sanguem, and Quepem are being considered for ST reservation. Priol falls within the North Goa Lok Sabha constituency and the rest in the South Goa Lok Sabha constituency.

Despite the lack of reservation, there are four tribal MLAs in the current Assembly, namely BJP members Govind Gaude, Ramesh Tawadkar, and Ganesh Gaonkar, and the independent Anton Vaz.

BJP’s bid to extract mileage

With BJP leaders themselves discussing the matter publicly, it is clear enough that the party wants to bring the issue into the public discourse. However, the opposition parties are trying to expose the BJP on this front. Speaking to Frontline,Girish Chodankar, the newly elected president of the Goa Congress, said: “Who stopped the BJP from announcing the reservation? The Bill was passed in 2025. Why are they taking so much time for an announcement? It means they want to do credit politics ahead of Assembly elections. The Congress is all for reservation and we are sure that tribals of the Goa are seeing this desperate politics of the BJP.”

Durgadas Kamat, general secretary of Goa Forward Party, said: “Our leader Vijai Sardesai has demanded this reservation in the Assembly. BJP’s “double engine” sarkar is playing with the emotions of tribals. They should have announced the reservation back in 2025 itself.”

In recent times, the Revolutionary Goans Party has attracted many ST youths in the State. The party has been raising issues such as land conversion, hill cutting, and others. These are related to the daily lives of tribal youths of the State. Every party in the State is eyeing the 10 per cent tribal vote share ahead of the election.

The BJP has been ruling the State since 2012. To defeat anti-incumbency and divert attention from cash-for-jobs scams and issues related to land conversion and environment, it needs to come up with new issues. Tribal representation in the Assembly would be one such topic, a politically sensitive one that no party would dare oppose.

Some experts believe that the BJP’s attempt to extract mileage from the issue will not succeed as it expects. Raju Nayak, Editor of the Gomantak daily, said: “Tribals, especially tribal youths, are politically very aware. They understand politics well. They have many issues, from unemployment to environmental concerns in their villages. Their land is being sold with the help of the government to moneybags from Delhi and Mumbai. This political representation won’t help their day-to-day concerns.”

Although getting guaranteed political representation would be a milestone in the lives of Goa’s tribal people, their struggle for existence and peaceful living goes beyond it. Their representatives in the Assembly will hopefully give the voice to that struggle.

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