According to the schedule released by the office of the Chief Electoral Officer Goa, the gazette notification for the by-poll will be issued on March 16. Candidates will be allowed to withdraw their nomina tions until March 26, 2026. Though the parties have not announced their candi dates for the byelection, former Maharashtrawadi Goman tak Party (MGP) leader Dr Ketan Bhatikar recently joined the Congress in Ponda. We are confident of our victory in the Ponda by-poll,” he said. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said the an nouncement of the Ponda by-poll is unlikely to affect the ongoing Assembly session; however, advice will be sought from the Election Commission.

Source: The Herald March 16, 2026 08:55 UTC