Goa opinion poll
Topic: Regional Aspirations: J&K, Punjab, the North-East and Accommodation · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 7 "Regional Aspirations"
Meaning
The Goa opinion poll of January 1967 was a special vote, much like a referendum, held to decide Goa's future inside India. The question was whether Goa should merge with Maharashtra or stay separate. It matters because the people decided their own status by voting.
Example
The Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) wanted merger with Maharashtra. The United Goan Party (UGP) defended a separate Goan identity and the Konkani language. Goans voted to stay separate. Goa became a state in 1987 (56th Amendment, Art. 371I), and Konkani entered the Eighth Schedule (the list of official languages) in 1992.
Don't confuse with
- Goa liberation (December 1961): army action that ended Portuguese rule. The opinion poll came later and settled Goa's status within India by vote.