Goa results Highlights: BJP wins 20 of 40 seats, set to form government

Goa Assembly Elections 2022 Results LIVE: The BJP has emerged as the single largest party with 20 assembly seats and is on its course to form the government. The incumbent Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, who was earlier trailing, won his Sanquelim Assembly seat with a small margin of 600 votes, defeating Congress Dharmesh Saglani. Sawant, on Thursday, said the party will take support from Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) and independent candidates to form the government....Read More
Meanwhile, Congress registered a win in 9 assembly seats and is leading on 2 seats. The Aam Aadmi Party managed to bag 2 seats, while Mamata Bnaerjee-led TMC displayed a flop show with no seats in hand.
Many prominent Congress turncoats contested on BJP tickets while some BJP leaders fought as independent candidates.
A voter turnout of nearly 79% was recorded in Goa on February 14, as single-phase polling for all 40 Assembly seats in the state came to an end. Turnout was highest for Sanquelim, from where CM and BJP leader Pramod Sawant is one of the candidates; 89.64% polling took place here. In 2017, the state witnessed a turnout of 81.21%.
CM Pramod Sawant offers prayers at Shri Dattatreya Temple
Goa CM Pramod Sawant offers prayers at Sri Datta Temple as the countdown begins for the results of the Goa Assembly polls.
Goa results live: Meet Cong's key candidate Michael Lobo
When two-time legislator Michael Lobo left Congress for BJP, a party on whose ticket he won the elections the previous two times, it immediately signaled a change in the mood about the Congress party.
Lobo who was a member of the Congress during his youth days before making the switch to the BJP in 2005 rose up the party ranks from a member of the zilla parishad to an MLA in 2012 as an anti-incumbency wave claimed the Congress and reduced the party to a single digit in the assembly.
However, Lobo began openly airing differences with the ruling BJP leadership in the months leading to the polls, switched camps and has now also fielded his wife on a Congress ticket besides publicly backing several other Congress candidates in the Bardez taluka.
Goa results live: Counting a transparent process, says EC chief election Sushil Chandra
As counting of Goa votes begins, chief election commissioners Sushil Chandra said counting is a transparent process adhering to the standard operating procedure. “Authorised polling agents of the political parties are allowed to come inside the counting centre,” Sushil Chandra said.
Counting of votes begins amid high security in Goa
Counting of votes in all 5 states, including Goa has begun. A three-tier security arrangement has been done at both counting centres with the inner perimeter guarded by Central Armed Police Forces and middle perimeter is covered by the Armed Police of Goa Police and the outer cordon is done by District Police.
CM Pramod Sawant looks to retain his seat in Sanquelim
Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant was chosen to replace his predecessor late Manohar Parrikar despite his inexperience as the Bharatiya Janata Party realised they had failed to cultivate a second rung leadership. Sawant, 47, has since emerged as the pre-eminent leader in Goa BJP, and is the only current BJP leader who has risen up the ranks from the RSS as a BJP youth leader before successfully contesting the 2012 assembly polls.
In 2012, he was made the Speaker of the assembly, and later elevated to chief minister in 2019. Sawant is expected to retain his Sanquelim seat, and get re-elected as the chief minister if the BJP returns to power.
Section 144 in place as counting of votes to begin shortly
Prohibitory Orders under section 144 of Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 have also been issued by the District Magistrates. All counting halls, strong rooms and premises have been put under CCTV surveillance with control rooms for viewing and viewing arena for candidates
The counting of EVM to begin at 8:30 am
The counting of votes will start at 8 am with postal ballots. The counting of electronic voting machines (EVM) will commence at 8:30 am.
Three-tier security arrangement at counting centres: EC
According to EC, a three-tier security arrangement has been done at both counting centres with the inner perimeter guarded by Central Armed Police Forces and middle perimeter is covered by the Armed Police of Goa Police and the outer cordon is done by District Police.
EC officials in Panaji get ready for counting of votes
The counting for North Goa district will take place at Government Polytechnic, Altinho, Panaji. The counting will start at 8 am.
P Chidambaram wishes success to ‘Congress + GFP candidates’
Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram also held a meeting on Wednesday with ally Goa Forward Party and briefed the candidates at a hotel in Goa's Margao on the eve of the counting of votes.
Counting of votes to take place at Panaji and Margao
Assembly election results 2022: The counting for North Goa district will take place at Government Polytechnic, Altinho, Panaji and for South Goa District will take place at Shree Damodar College of Commerce and Economics, Combo, Margao.
1,500 officials deployed for counting of votes in Goa
More than 1,500 counting officials have been trained and deployed for the purpose and the counting will start at 8 am. Assembly elections were held on February 14 in a single phase in Goa. The state saw 79.61 per cent polling.
BJP is known for its habit of poaching: D K Shivkumar
"BJP is known for its habit of poaching. That is why we have asked all our candidates to stay in a common hotel," Karnataka Congress president D K Shivkumar, who is currently camping in Goa, told ANI.
In 2017, despite winning 17 seats, the Congress could not come to power as the BJP, which had bagged 13 seats, allied with some independents and regional parties to form the government under the leadership of its stalwart Manohar Parrikar. The BJP eyes a third consecutive term in office.
Cong in touch with TMC, AAP leaders for post-poll alliance
The Congress party's leaders in Goa are learnt to be in touch with state leaders of Trinamool Congress and Aam Aadmi Party "to prevent BJP from returning to power" in the state, reports news agency ANI.
BJP, Cong to keep close eye on results in Goa amid possibility of hung assembly
Amid predictions of a hung assembly, leaders of BJP and Congress in Goa would be keeping a close watch on the results of assembly elections to assess their chances of forming government in the state.
Along with Goa, counting of votes in four other states today
Along with Goa, counting of votes will begin at 8 am today in four other states - Punjab, Manipur, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.
Congress moves leaders to resort, holds talks with AAP
The Congress, on Wednesday, shifted all its candidates to a resort in the southern part of Goa to prevent poaching attempts from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) amid predictions of a hung assembly in the elections.
The party also engaged in talks with Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for support in government formation if there was a fractured mandate. Read more
Counting of votes to begin at 8 am
The counting of votes for the Goa assembly elections will begin at 8 am. Goa assembly polls 2022 were held in a single phase on February 14.