Goa Assembly Elections: BJP misses majority mark by 1 seat

Image: PTI

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has emerged as the single largest party in Goa winning 20 out of the State Assembly’s total 40 seats. However, this leaves it short by 1 seat. According to news reports, the party will form a government by allying with regional party Maharashtrawadi Gomantak (MGP) and a few independent candidates.

BJP won 20 seats in the 40-constituency state with a vote share of 33.3 percent. Leading Opposition Indian National Congress (Congress) won 11 seats with 23.5 percent vote share. Earlier, the party spoke of allying with the Goa Forward Party (GFP) that won in 1 constituency. Independents won 3 seats.

Meanwhile, the MGP had reportedly stayed in talks with both the BJP and the Congress during elections. Bagging 2 seats, it is now likely to ally with the majority party. This is a bit shocking because the MGP was backed by Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress (TMC), and has therefore been the BJP’s political nemesis.

The 2022 results are in stark contrast with the 2017 election result when the Congress emerged as the single largest party with 17 seats, but it was the BJP formed the government with allies despite only winning 13 seats on their own. After this year’s election, BJP will form a government in Goa for the third consecutive time.

The party also won majority votes in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Manipur as well. BJP leaders were patting each other on the back nt on social media.

An interesting turnout was the 2-seat victory for Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) – a cherry-on-the-cake moment for the party that won with an overwhelming majority in Punjab. Party candidate Venzy Viegas beat the veteran Churchill Alemao in his favoured Benaulim seat with a margin of 1,271 votes. Similarly, candidate Cruz Silva beat Congress candidate D’Silva Savio in Velim with a close margin of 169 votes. The former MLA here was Congress member Filipe Nery Rodrigues.

AAP leaders congratulated the two men for being the first party members to win seats in Goa election. Others that won seats were the Revolutionary Goans Party (RGP) with 1 seat in St. Andre. Candidate Viresh Mukesh Borkar was in a nail-biting race with BJP candidate Francisco Silveira but finally won with a close margin of 76 votes. According to Indian Express, the previously non-political party registered for the elections months before voting began.

A youth party, the RGP even won 3,000 votes in other constituencies affecting the progress of the BJP, MGP and the Congress. The pro-native Goans party claims to represent the ‘voiceless’ native folk and intends to pass a Bill that defines who can come under the purview of Goans. As per a Times of India interview, RGP Chief Manoj Parab says this is any person whose parents or grandparents were born or stayed before December 20, a day after Goa’s liberation in 1961.

Related:

Goa Assembly elections: BJP leads, INC trails, AAP wins 2 seats

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