The BJP appears set for a victory in Goa, with the saffron party victorious in 20 of the 40 assembly seats. Meanwhile, Independent candidates Antonio Vas, Chandrakant Shetye and Alex Reginald vouched their support to the saffron party.
Goa witnessed a multi-cornered contest with parties including the BJP, Congress, Trinamool Congress, and AAP in the fray. In 2017, the Congress had emerged as the single largest party in the state, winning 17 seats but the BJP, which won 13 seats, managed to form the government with the support of the Goa Forward Party and the MGP which had won three seats each, and two independents.
In order to avoid repeating the 2017 fiasco, the Congress shifted all the candidates who had contested the Assembly polls to a luxury resort in Bambolim village near Panaji on Tuesday evening.
Congress leader P Chidambaram held a meeting with the Goa Assembly poll candidates of his party and those of ally GFP on Wednesday night, where it was decided that the alliance will name its leader after the election results are out and stake claim for government formation.
Meanwhile, sitting BJP Goa CM Pramod Sawant travelled to Delhi Tuesday to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The Congress on Wednesday said that talks were underway with the AAP for gaining support for government formation in Goa if there was a hung Assembly.