Goa result highlights: Congress tops the chart, but BJP too in race to form government

NEW DELHI: Both Congress and BJP sounded confident of forming the government in Goa, after the polls threw up a hung assembly and virtually left the decision on who rules the state next to two regional parties and independents.

The Congress emerged as the single largest party with 17 seats, four short for a simple majority in the 40-member assembly. The BJP ended with 13, or eight short.

Even before the counting was over, BJP chief Amit Shah said his party that rules the state would form the next government as well, even as its chief minister Laxmikant Parsekar, who lost the Mandrem seat, submitted his resignation to the governor.

Congress’ Goa in charge Digvijay Singh was equally confident. “The MLAs are meeting tonight and we will be meeting with the governor tomorrow,” he said.

The Maharashtrawadi Gomantakwadi Party (MGP), which broke with the BJP just before the polls, and Vijay Sardesai’s Goa Forward Party won three seats each.

The Nationalist Congress Party got one, while the three remaining seats went to independents. Among the independents, Rohan Khaunte, who won from Porvorim, had the Congress support, while Priol winner Govind Gaude was backed by the BJP. In Sanguem, Prasad Gowkar won on his own strength.

The former state head of the RSS, Subhash Velingkar, said his Goa Suraksha Sangh that had allied with the MGP and the Shiv Sena, will advise the MGP against backing the BP. Incumbent chief minister Parsekar lost by more than 7,100 votes.

Parsekar’s fate though was possibly determined when the party leadership refused to name him the CM candidate and not so subtly suggested that defence minister Manohar Parrikar could return to Goa.

Also read: All the updates from the Assembly poll results

While the Congress won more seats, its vote share at 28.4% was less than BJP’s 32.5%. The Aam Aadmi Party floundered on its much-hyped debut. Even its CM candidate Elvis Gomes lost. The party, which was speculated to split Cristian votes, received 6.3% of the votes polled.