Preparation underway for voting during the first phase of Goa Assembly polls, in Goa
PTI
With the campaigning for the upcoming Goa Assembly Elections concluding on Saturday, the coastal state will go to polls on Monday in a single-phase manner. The ruling-party Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is being challenged by Congress, Trinamool Congress and Aam Admi Party (AAP) for the 40 Assembly seats in Goa.
A total of 301 candidates are in the fray for 40 constituencies. Besides the candidates of the BJP, Congress, Aam Aadmi Party, Goa Forward Party (GFP), Trinamool Congress Party, Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), NCP, Shiv Sena, Revolutionary Goans, Goencho Swabhimaan Party, Jai Mahabharat Party and Sambhaji Brigade, there are 68 independent candidates. The Independents include rebels who ditched main political parties when they didn't receive a ticket.
BJP National President JP Nadda addresses a public gathering for the upcoming state assembly elections, at Cumbarzua old bus stand, in Goa, Friday, Feb. 11, 2022.
-PTI
Among them is Utpal Parrikar, son of former Chief Minister Manohar Parikkar, who decided to contest as an independent candidate from his father Manohar Parrikar's traditional Panaji Assembly seat. He had resigned from the BJP after he was denied a ticket from the Panaji Assembly constituency. Instead, BJP fielded ex-Congress member Atanasio "Babush" Monserrate from the Panaji seat. He was among the infamous nine who left Congress to join BJP in 2019.
Goa Assembly has a strength of 40 members out of which the BJP currently has 17 legislators and enjoys the support of legislators from Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), Vijay Sardesai of the Goa Forward Party (GFP), and three independents. The GFP and MGP each have three MLAs, and Congress, on the other hand, has 15 MLAs in the house.
Goa witnessed intense electioneering by the top leaders of various political parties.
Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram along with the AICC in-charge Dinesh Gundu Rao campaigned in Goa, seeking votes for works carried out by previous Congress-led governments. Goa Pradesh Congress Committee President Girish Chodankar also posted a video message for voters in Goa.
Congress President Rahul Gandhi campaigning in Goa ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections.
-PTI
Similarly, several candidates of the BJP, Congress and TMC along with other political parties posted video messages, highlighting the developmental works carried out by them in their respective constituencies.
After the completion of the single-phase election on February 14, the counting of votes will take place on March 10.