The Congress emerged in the lead with 17 seats as all the votes were counted for the 2017 Goa Assembly elections on Saturday. A total of 251 candidates had contested for the 40 Assembly seats. Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar submitted his resignation to governor Mridula Sinha after he lost to his Congress rival Dayanand Sopte in Mandrem.
Parsekar’s deputy, Francisco De Souza, was declared the winner in Mapusa. Seven ministers, including the chief minister, lost in the election. Five former chief ministers, including four current Congress members, secured seats in the Assembly.
Former Chief Minister and Congress veteran Pratapsingh Rane won his 11th election since 1972. He has an undefeated track record in the state. Another Congress veteran, Digambar Kamat, regained his stronghold of Margao in a landslide victory.
The Aam Aadmi Party, which had contested only from Goa and Punjab, failed to win even a single seat. After a crushing defeat in 2012, former chief minister and ex-Congress leader Churchill Alemao made a political comeback in Benaulim on an NCP ticket.
The ruling BJP was confident about being re-elected to power. The presence of several other alliances, particularly one led by its former right-wing ally, dented the saffron party’s hopes of a clear majority. Goa reported a record voter turnout of 83% during the February 4 election.
Exit polls had projected BJP in the lead with the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party staking claim over a few seats. There was speculation over Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar’s return to local politics as chief minister. Illegal mining, casinos, cultural protectionism, religion and caste were factors that determined how the Goan electorate swayed.
Here is how the day panned out:
6.40pm: Addressing reporters, Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar thanked the people of Goa for giving the party a chance to “deliver its promises”. Parsekar expressed fears about the state’s political stability. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar attributed the “fractured mandate” to the presence of smaller regional outfits and independent candidates.
“We are all responsible for the fractured mandate. BJP will stake claim if it gets enough support,” Parrikar told reporters.
6.29 pm: Election Commission placed Congress in the lead with 17 seats, followed by the BJP with 13, MGP 3, GFP 3, Independent 3 and NCP 1.
5.54 pm: Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar has submitted his resignation to the state governor Mridula Sinha, ANI reported. Parsekar said given the “fractured mandate”, the next term would be dominated by instability.
5.52 pm: Election Commission data has placed Congress in the lead with 15 seats followed by BJP with 13.
5.40 pm: The Congress staked claim over St Cruz and Velim through candidates Antonio Fernandes and Filipe Nery Rodrigues respectively.
5.16 pm: INC’s Isidore Fernandes won the Canacona seat. Fernandes beat former Canacona MLA Ramesh Tawadkar, who had stepped down from his position in the BJP cabinet in the run up to the elections. Local media reports had suggested that Tawadkar’s disappointment at being denied a BJP ticket led to him contesting as an independent.
5.07 pm: Porvorim incumbent and independent candidate, Rohan Khaunte, has been re-elected.
5 pm: BJP President Amit Shah claimed that his party was in a position to form the government in Goa. The saffron party has secured 12 seats in the 40-seat Assembly till now.
4. 58 pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter to thank voters in Goa for “their support”. “We will always work for the well being of these states,” Modi said.
4.53 pm: Goa Forward Party leader Vijai Sardesai said the outfit would mull over choosing an alliance partner. The party has won three seats in the election. “One is the BJP and we have been against them. The other is the Congress that has a setting with the BJP,” Sardesai told ANI.
4.33 pm: BJP’s Nilesh Cabral retained his constituency of Curchorem, while Congress’ Clafasio Dias beat independent candidate Joaquim Alemao and AAP’s Elvis Gomes to win Cuncolim.
4.26 pm: BJP’s Rural Development Agency Minister Alina Saldanha has retained her constituency of Cortalim. Her husband, Matanhy Saldanha’s, sudden death while serving as the state’s Forests and Environment minister led to her entry in state politics.
4.06 pm: Congress stalwart and former Chief Minister Ravi Naik attributed BJP’s diminished performance to the “high-handedness, price rise, demonetisation and anti-people ways”, local daily Herald reported.
3. 27pm: Seven ministers from the current government, including Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar, Industries Minister Mahadev Naik, Panchayats Minister Rajendra Arlekar, Water Resources Development Minister Dayanand Mandrekar, Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar, Fisheries Minister Avertano Furtado and former MGP minister Deepak Dhavalikar.
3.26 pm: The close contest continues with a tie between the BJP and Congress. MGP and AAP have secured three seats each.
3.07 pm: BJP still one seat ahead of Congress.
3.07 pm: Congress loyalist Aleixo Reginald Lourenco is leading over BJP’s Arthur D’Silva in Curtorim.
2.39 pm: BJP inches one seat ahead of Congress.
2.30 pm: As counting crawls on, BJP and Congress still tied.
2.11 pm: Wilfred D’Sa defeated Goa Su-Raj Party’s Francisco Pacheco alias Mickky in Nuvem.
2.04 pm: Goa Pradesh Congress Committee President and former chief minister Luizinho Faleiro won Navelim defeating incumbent and independent candidate Avertano Furtado, Prudent Media reported. Furtado served as a fisheries minister in the BJP-led state government.
Congress candidate Vishwajit Rane retained his bastion of Valpoi.
1.59 pm: Ruling Panaji MLA Siddarth Kuncalienker beat rival Atanasio Monserrate to retain his capital seat, Prudent Media reported. Kuncalienker is considered to be Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar’s protege. Monserrate contested on a United Goans Party ticket, while his wife Jennifer won a seat on a Congress ticket in Taleigao.
1.46 pm: EC data shows Congress and BJP in a tie with eight seats each.
1.23 pm: Congress leader and former chief minister Digambar Kamat has retained his stronghold of Margao, the state’s commercial capital, with a landslide victory.
1.22 pm: BJP’s Pandurang Madkaikar has won Cumbharjua seat, Prudent Media reported.
1.11 pm: The Congress and BJP are tied at seven seats each.
12.51 pm: Goa Forward Party’s Jayesh Salgaonkar has defeated BJP Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar in Saligao, Prudent Media reported.
12.50 pm: BJP’s Pramod Sawant has won the Sakhali seat while Congress veteran Ravi Naik has won Ponda constituency.
12.49 pm: BJP’s Rajesh Patnekar has defeated new MGP candidate Naresh Sawal in Bicholim.
12. 47 pm: Congress leader Randeep Surjewala criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statements on a “Congress-free India”. “BJP is losing in Punjab. Goa’s BJP chief minister has lost his constituency. Does this not reflect on Modi’s leadership?” Surjewala told ANI.
12.34 pm: Congress candidate Subhash Shirodkar has defeated BJP Minister Mahadev Naik in Shiroda.
12.26 pm: Goa Forward Party has registered its second win with incumbent Vijai Sardesai retaining his seat in Fatorda.
12.24 pm: Former Congress leader Mauvin Godinho, who jumped ship to the BJP in the run-up to the 2017 polls, has secured Dabolim.
12.22 pm: Congress’ Chandrakant Kavlekar has retained his seat in Quepem.
12.20 pm: BJP candidates Glenn Ticlo and Michael Lobo have won seats in Aldona and Calangute respectively.
12.03 pm: Goa Forward Party has registered its first win in Siolim with Vinoda Paliencar defeating BJP’s Water Resources Minister Dayanand Mandrekar by 1,441 votes.
12.05 pm: Congress candidate Jennifer Monserrate wins in Taleigao.
11.55 am: Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar has lost to his Congress rival Dayanand Sopte in Mandrem.
11. 53 am: The EC’s latest results.
11.54 am: After a crushing defeat in 2012, former chief minister and ex-Congress leader Churchill Alemao has made a political comeback in Benaulim on an NCP ticket.
11.45am: AAP’s star candidate and chief ministerial candidate Elvis Gomes is trailing at fourth place in his constituency of Cuncolim. Congress candidate Clafasio Dias is in the lead there with 4,881 votes.
11.41 am: Former Congress Chief Minister Pratapsingh Rane has defeated his BJP rival Vishwajit Rane in Poriem, EC data said. Pratapsingh Rane has never lost an election since 1972.
11.33 am: Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar faces defeat in Mandrem while Congress candidate Dayanand Sopte is in the lead with 8,724 votes.
11.15 am: The EC has declared the winners of three constituencies. Deputy Chief Minister Francisco De Souza has won the Mapusa seat with 10,957 votes. BJP’s Pravin Zantye has won from Mayem with 12, 430 votes. Congress candidate Francisco Silveira has officially been declared the winner in St Andre.
10.57 am: Deputy Chief Minister Francisco De Souza has won the Mapusa seat with 10,092 votes, The Goan reported.
10.53 am: In St Andre, Congress candidate Francis Silveira is leading with 8087 votes, EC data said.
10.44 am: In Mayem, BJP’s Pravin Zantye has secured a seat, but recounting is under way, Prudent Media reported.
10.43 am: EC data shows that 3,161 voters opted for the None of the Above option this year.
10.41 am: Goa Forward’s Vijai Sardesai is in the lead with 5, 628 votes in Fatorda, Election Commission data said.
10.27 am: Congress has bagged eight seats, BJP six and the MGP 2. The Goa Forward Party has secured two, Election Commission data said.
10.26 am: Independent candidate Govind Gaude has defeated MGP’s Deepak Dhavalikar in Priol.
10.24 am: Congress is still in the lead with eight seats, followed by BJP with 5, according to the latest Election Commission results.
10.05 am: The Election Commission has updated the results for the state.
9.51 am: BJP’s Milind Naik is leading with 900 votes in Mormugao and Mauvin Godinho by 200 votes in Dabolim, Prudent Media reported.
9.49 am: The Election Commission has updated its counting results.
9.16 am: MGP’s Deepak Pauskar has been declared winner in Sanvordem, Prudent Media reports.
9.16 am: Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar is still trailing by over 1,000 votes, while Congress candidate Dayanand Sopte is shown leading in Mandrem.
9.10 am: Congress still in the lead with six seats, while BJP secured its first two during the counting session, NDTV reported.
9.04 am: Congress in the lead with three seats, NDTV reported. The Election Commission of India has not posted any results yet.
8.54 am: In Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar’s consituency of Mandrem, INC’s Narayan Sopte is in the lead with 750 votes, according to The Goan.
8.37 am: After calculation of postal ballot votes, EVM vote counting to begin, Goa’s Prudent Media reported.
8 am: Counting begins. Security tight outside the counting centres.
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