Goa: BJP wins 20 seats, set to retain power with help of Independents; Congress reduced to 11

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which fell one seat short of the majority figure in Goa is set to retain power in the state with the help of Maharashtrawadi Gomantak (MGP) and Independent candidates.

The BJP emerged as the single largest party in Goa winning 20 seats in the 40-member state assembly. Congress finished second with 11 seats and the Independent candidate bagged three seats. Two seats went to Maharashtrawadi Gomantak (MGP) tally and Revolutionary Goans Party and Goa Forward Party (GFP) got one seat each.

According to Election Commission, BJP got 33.31 per cent vote share followed by Congress (23.46 per cent), MGP (7.60 per cent), Aam Aadmi Party (6.77) and Trinamool Congress (5.21 per cent).

Goa election in-charge Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday evening said that it will form a full majority government in the coastal state with the support of Maharashtrawadi Gomantak (MGP) and three independent MLAs-- Antonio Vas, Chandrakant Shetye and Alex Reginald.

"We have won 20 seats. MGP has also given us a letter of support. Three independent MLAs have also supported us. So, now we are 20+3+2 =25. There is a possibility that more candidates will join us. So we are forming the government," Fadnavis said in a press conference here.

Accepting defeat in Goa, Congress leader P Chidambaram said that the Congress lost by a 'very small' margin. "We accept the verdict of the people of Goa. Our candidates fought bravely, despite several obstacles... People have voted BJP to power and we accept that. In several constituencies, we lost with very small margins," said Chidambaram while addressing a press conference.

"Split in votes among various parties ended up in our numbers being less than what we had hoped for...BJP won by a little over 33 per cent of votes, remaining votes got divided", he added.

Late Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar's son Utpal Parrikar, who contested independently in the Goa Assembly elections, has lost from the Panaji constituency by 716 votes. He was up against BJP heavyweight Atanasio Monserrate, who won 6,787 votes to Parrikar's 6,071.

In Goa's Bicholim, Rajesh Patnekar, BJP candidate and former assembly speaker lost his seat to independent candidate Chandrakant Shetye.

Chandrakant Kavlekar, BJP candidate from Quepem assembly constituency and former deputy Chief Minister lost to Altone DCosta of Congress with a margin of 3601 votes.

In Mormgao, BJP after a long see-saw battle, Congress' Digambar Kamat defeated BJP's Ajgaonkar Manohar (Babu) by a margin of 7,794 votes.

In Goa, predictions were for a hung assembly, due to a multi-cornered contest with parties including the BJP, Congress, Trinamool Congress, and AAP.

In 2017, Congress had emerged as the single largest party in the state, winning 17 seats but the BJP, which won 13 seats, managed to form the government with the support of the Goa Forward Party and the MGP which had won three seats each, and two independents.

( With inputs from ANI )

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