Goa Ponda By-election Cancelled by High Court

The India===Bombay High Court's India===Goa bench declared the India===Election Commission of India's notification for the Ponda Assembly by-election as 'null and void', effectively cancelling the April 9 poll. This decision was made in response to petitions arguing that a by-election was not mandatory under the Representation of the People Act, as less than one year remained in the current assembly's term. The by-election was necessitated by the death of former India===Goa minister Ravi Naik. The ruling India===Bharatiya Janata Party expressed shock, while the India===Indian National Congress accused the India===Bharatiya Janata Party and the India===Election Commission of India of collusion to cancel the election, fearing a loss, and announced plans to appeal to the India===Supreme Court of India.