New Delhi: The counting of votes for the 40 seats in Goa assembly elections 2017 started at 8am. Early trends from Goa show Congress leading over BJP, while other parties such as the MGP also making significant gains. Exit poll results on Thursday forecast a hung assembly in Goa with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leading the table.
The assembly polls in five states are being seen as a referendum on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity and his reforms agenda, particularly demonetisation. The party has not projected incumbent Laxmikant Parsekar as its chief ministerial face. BJP senior leaders have hinted at the return of defence minister and former chief minister Manohar Parrikar to state politics.
BJP will face traditional rival Congress as well as Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which is entering the poll fray for the first time in the state. BJP’s erstwhile partner Maharashtra Gomantakwadi Party (MGP) is in alliance with Shiv Sena. The former estranged partners have hinted at post poll alliance if there is no clear majority.
Track Goa Assembly Election Results
The Election Commission (EC) has set up two counting centres in North and South Goa to declare the winners in 40 seats. The EC has issued strict guidelines on security arrangements for counting of votes and has prohibited mobile phones inside the counting halls. A three-tier security perimeter has been created at the counting centres.
Track Assembly Election Results 2017
The election results will be available on the Election Commission website www.eci.nic.in/.
Here are the latest updates on election results and trends from counting of votes in the Goa assembly elections 2017:
■ 10am: Election trends on CNN-News18 for 17 assembly seats in Goa shows Congress is leading in eight, BJP is leading in five seats, other parties and independents are ahead in four seats.
MGP’s Dipak Pawaskar defeats Ganesh Gaonkar of BJP by 1,169 votes in Sanvordem constituency. (PTI)
■ 9.45am: Chief minister Laxmikant Parsekar (BJP) trails Congress candidate Dayanand Sopte by 1,700 votes in Mandrem constituency. (PTI)
■ 9.30am: Congress leads on three seats, BJP on one, MGP-one and Goa Forward Party on two, as per early trends. (PTI)
Goa CM Laxmikant Parsekar is trailing in Mandrem constituency by nearly 1,000 votes.
■ 9.15am: Election trends for four seats in Goa on CNN-News18 shows that the Congress is leading in two seats, while the BJP is leading in one seat. Independent and others lead in one seat.
■ 8.15am: The focus is on whether the BJP will be able to retain power and if it gets a fresh mandate, will defence minister Manohar Parrikar return to his home state as chief minister. The fate of Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar, whose Mandrem constituency will be taken up for counting during the first round, will be decided within the first hour of the counting.
■ 8.00am: The counting of votes for all 40 constituencies of the Goa Assembly began at 8am on Friday at two centres in Panaji and Margao. The postal ballots and votes polled by service voters will be taken up first before calculating the numbers on Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).
Tight security arrangements have been made with over 1,000 policemen deployed. Election officials said the counting will be completed by 2.30pm.
The votes for 19 constituencies will be counted at Panaji in North Goa, while the tally for the remaining 21 will be carried out in Margao in South Goa.
The elections held on February 4 witnessed an enthusiastic response of voters, with polling clocking in at 83%. (PTI)
