The Goa Legislative Assembly is the unicameral legislature of the state of Goa on the west coast of India. Its seat is at Porvorim, and it sits for a term of five years unless it is dissolved early. Goa is India's smallest state by area and fourth-smallest by population. The Goa Legislative Assembly has existed since 1963. As of the 2022 election, it comprises 40 constituencies.
The Constitution of India lays down the general principles of positive discrimination for the Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST). Since the transition of India from a United Kingdom dominion to an independent republic in 1950, the SCs and STs have been given reservation status—guaranteeing political representation—and after Goa was annexed from Portugal in 1961, the same principles applied to it as well. The 2011 census of India found that, within Goa, the population of the Scheduled Castes was 1.74% of the total. Accordingly, one constituency (Pernem) in the assembly is reserved for candidates of the Scheduled Castes.
The population of the ST community in Goa was only 566 in the 2001 census which is why no seats were reserved for them during the 2002 delimitation. Three communities (Kunbi, Gawda, and Velip) were added to the ST list in 2003, which brought the ST population to (around 10% of the state's total) in the 2011 census. A bill was passed in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Parliament of India, in 2025 to ensure that a requisite number of seats are reserved in Goa's assembly (from the next election) to reflect this change.
History +Changes in the constituencies of the Goa Legislative Assembly over time Year Act/OrderExplanation Totalseats SC-reserved seats Election(s) 1961 Annexation of Goa Goa was annexed from the Portuguese in 1961 and the union territory of Goa, Daman and Diu was formed. 30 0 1963, 1967, 1972 1976 Delimitation of Parliamentary and Assembly Constituencies Order, 1976 One seat was reserved for members of the Scheduled Castes. 30 1 1977, 1980, 1984 1987 The Constitution (Fifty-sixth Amendment) Act, 1987 The union territory was split, and Goa was made India's twenty-fifth state The number of constituencies was increased to 40. 40 1 1989, 1994, 1999, 2002, 2007 2008 Delimitation Commission Order, 2007 There were no changes to the number of reserved seats. 40 1 2012, 2017, 2022
Constituencies
+Constituencies of the Goa Legislative Assembly Name Reserved for(SC/None) District Lok Sabhaconstituency Electorate(2022) 1 MandremNoneNorth GoaNorth Goa 2 Pernem SC 3 BicholimNone 4 Tivim 5 Mapusa 6 Siolim 7 Saligao 8 Calangute 9 Porvorim 10 Aldona 11 Panaji 12 Taleigao 13 Santa Cruz 14 St. Andre 15 Cumbarjua 16 Maem 17 Sanquelim 18 Poriem 19 Valpoi 20 Priol 21 PondaSouth Goa 22 Siroda 23 Marcaim 24 MormugaoSouth Goa 25 Vasco Da Gama 26 Dabolim 27 Cortalim 28 Nuvem 29 Curtorim 30 Fatorda 31 Margao 32 Benaulim 33 Navelim 34 Cuncolim 35 Velim 36 Quepem 37 Curchorem 38 Sanvordem 39 Sanguem 40 Canacona
See also List of constituencies of the Puducherry Legislative Assembly Daman and Diu Lok Sabha constituency Dadra and Nagar Haveli Lok Sabha constituency
References