Goa election results: BJP alliance wins majority,CM resigns

Many Congress stalwarts,including four from the Churchill Alemao family and state party chief Subhas Shirodkar bit the dust as the BJP-MGP alliance today managed to bag majority of seats in Goa assembly elections.

Congress’ NCP ministers including Churchill Alemao,Joaquim Alemao,Manohar Asgaonkar,Filip Nery Rodrigues,Jose Philip Dsouza,Nilkant Halarnkar and others lost the polls to new faces mostly fielded by the BJP-MGP as election results were declared today.

In Salcette,which is a Congress bastion,Congress won two seats out of eight. BJP,which had fielded several Catholic candidates,managed to make a hold in Salcette.

Catholic candidates like Matanhy Saldanha,Michael Lobo,Glen Ticlo,Carlose Almeida defeated stalwarts. NCP,which had won on three seats in 2007 elections,got only a single seat. The party fought the election in alliance with the Congress.

Goa Pradesh Congress Committee President Subhas Shirodkar also suffered defeat at the hands of BJP’s Mahadev Naik in Shiroda constituency. GVP,a regional political outfit,which was rejuvenated by Fransisco Miccky Pacheco,managed to win Nuvem and Benaulim seats.

Caetan Silva of the party defeated Congress’ Valanka Alemao. All the four candidates from theAlemao family – Valanka (Benaulim),Joaquim (Cuncolim),Churchill (Navelim) and Yuri (Sanguem),lost the election.

‘Family raj’ was one of the important issues during the polls. Only one of the BJP’s sitting MLAs Damodar Naik was defeated by independent candidate Vijay Sardesai in Fatorda constituency. Congress candidate from Cuncolim constituency Joaquim Aleamo lost to BJP’s candidate Subhash Naik.

In Calangute constituency,BJP’s Michael Lobo won against Congress’ Agnelo Fernandes. BJP Goa chief Laxmikant Parsekar said that the party will stake claim to form the next government in alliance with the MGP.

As many as 215 candidates are in the fray. A record-breaking 81 per cent polling was reported in the coastal state on March 3. The ruling Congress is in alliance with the Sharad Pawar-led NCP and main Opposition BJP which has joined hands with regional outfit MGP in the tiny tourist state known for its political volatility.

In the 2007 Assembly polls,Congress had won 16 seats,followed by BJP 14,NCP 3,and MGP,SGF and Independents 2 each. UGDP,a regional party,had won one seat. MGP,Goa’s oldest regional party,had joined hands with the Congress after the polls five years ago. However,this time it withdrew from the Congress-led combine ahead of the polls and forged an alliance with the BJP.