The BJP fell one seat short of the majority figure as it won 20 seats in Goa. However, the party said yesterday that it will form govt in the state with the help of MGP and independent candidates – Antonio Vas, Chandrakant Shetye and Alex Reginald. Incumbent CM Pramod Sawant won the Sanquelim seat by 666 votes. However, both Deputy Chief Ministers of Goa, Ajgaonkar Manohar and Chandrakant Kavlekar, lost assembly elections to their nearest Congress rivals. On the other hand, Manohar Parrikar’s son, Utpal Parrikar, who contested independently in the polls lost from the Panaji constituency by 716 votes.
Congress emerged as the second-largest party by winning in 11 constituencies. The BJP secured 50% of all the seats, and the seat share for Congress stood at 27.5%. According to Election Commission, BJP got 33.31% vote share followed by Congress (23.46%), MGP (7.60%), Aam Aadmi Party (6.77%) and Trinamool Congress (5.21%).
Union Minister and BJP leader G Kishan Reddy on Thursday said that the CM candidate would be decided only after BJP parliamentary committee’s meeting. Reddy said on Thursday, “Our national BJP parliamentary committee will hold a meeting tonight. Tomorrow parliamentary board observers will visit Goa.”
Exit polls had predicted a hung assembly in Goa. NewsX-Polstrat Exit Poll had predicted 17-19 seats for the BJP in Goa. For Congress, the exit poll had projected 11-13 seats in the state and the party won in 11 constituencies.
In 2017, Congress had emerged as the single largest party in the state with 17 seats but the BJP, with just 13 seats, formed the government in alliance with the MGP and two independent candidates.
