Section 17:
Delimitation of constituencies.
(1) The Election Commission shall, in the manner herein
provided, distribute, whether before or after the appointed day, the seats assigned to the Legislative
Assembly of the State of Goa under section 12 to single-member territorial constituencies and delimit
them having regard to the provisions of the Constitution and to the following provisions, namely:—
(a) all constituencies shall, as far as practicable, be geographically compact areas, and in
delimiting them regard shall be had to physical features, existing boundaries of administrative units,
facilities of communication and convenience to the public; and
(b) constituencies in which seats are reserved for the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled
Tribes shall, as far as practicable, be located in areas where the proportion of their population to the
total population is the largest.
(2) For the purpose of assisting it in the performance of its functions under sub-section (1), the
Election Commission shall associate with itself as associate members,—
(a) the sitting members of the House of the People referred to in section 11; and
(b) such six of the members of the Legislative Assembly of the existing Union territory or, as the
case may be, the provisional Legislative Assembly referred to in section 13 as the Speaker thereof
may nominate:
Provided that none of the associate members shall have a right to vote or to sign any decision of the
Election Commission.
(3) If, owing to death or resignation, the office of an associate member falls vacant, it shall be filled if
practicable, in accordance with the provisions of sub-section (2).
(4) The Election Commission shall—
(a) publish its proposals for the delimitation of constituencies together with the dissenting
proposals, if any, of any associate member who desires publication thereof, in the Official Gazette
and in such other manner as the Commission may consider fit, together with a notice inviting
objections and suggestions in relation to the proposals and specifying a date on or after which the
proposals will be further considered by it;
(b) consider all objections and suggestions which may have been received by it before the date so
specified;
(c) after considering all objections and suggestions which may have been received by it before the
date so specified, determine by one or more orders the delimitation of constituencies and cause
such order or orders to be published in the Official Gazette; and upon such publication, the order
or orders shall have the full force of law and shall not be called in question in any Court.
(5) As soon as may be after such publication, every such order relating to assembly
constituencies shall be laid before the Legislative Assembly of the existing Union territory or, as the case
may be, the provisional Legislative Assembly referred to in section 13.