​The High Court on Monday questioned the Election Commission of India (ECI) over the delay in deciding the registration application of the proposed “Goa Congress Party”. The court directed the ECI to provide a concrete timeline on Tuesday for completing the physical verification of the proposed party’s members and office premises.

Goa Pradesh Congress Committee president Girish Chodankar has filed a petition seeking directions to the ECI to consider objections raised by the Indian National Congress before deciding the registration application. The Congress has argued that the proposed name is deceptively similar to “Goa Congress” and could confuse voters.

The ECI’s counsel told the court that no political party is currently registered under the name “Goa Congress Party”. However, an application for registration is under scrutiny, and objections filed by the Congress will be considered before any decision is taken.

The proposed party published its intention to register on July 2, triggering a mandatory 30-day period for public objections, which ended on August 2. The Congress subsequently filed formal objections in July and August.

Under the requirements framed under Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, the applicant was required to submit affidavits from 100 members, along with their income-tax returns, PAN details and address proofs.
The documents have been forwarded to the Chief Electoral Officer of Goa, who is conducting physical verification of the members and the proposed party’s office.

The ECI counsel said the verification requirements were introduced to prevent fraudulent registrations, noting that hundreds of bogus applications had previously been filed by entities without genuine members or functioning offices. The Commission will also be required to grant oral hearings to both the applicant party and the objectors after the verification process is completed.

Questioning the delay, the High Court asked how much time the Goa CEO would need to verify the 100 affidavits and complete the physical checks. The court adjourned the matter until Tuesday, when the ECI is expected to submit a definite timeline.