Goa election results: BJP-MGP to form govt Paul Fernandes, TNN | Mar 6, 2012, 03.36PM IST
PANAJI: The BJP cruised into a position to form the government with its alliance partner, MGP, after their candidates together won 22 seats after results to 37 of the 40 constituencies were declared at the two counting centres in Goa. [NOTE, FINAL TALLY: BJP 21, MGP 3, CONGRESS 9, INDEPENDENTS 5, GVP 2] With counting in the last three constituencies for Goa assembly polls being taken up, the BJP on its own steam won 19 seats while its alliance partner won three seats. The BJP improved its position from 14 in 2007 to 19 seats, with three segments still to be counted. Leader of opposition and former chief minister Manohar Parrikar is projected as the chief ministerial candidate after the party stakes its claim to form the government. The ruling Congress party slid to just eight seats from its strength of 16 seats in 2007. Two MLAs from Save Goa Party had later merged with their party into Congress, taking its tally to 18 while three NCP and two MPG MLAs had also joined the coalition government. Though chief minister Digambar Kamat and ten-time winner and Speaker Pratapsing Rane were re-elected, home minister Ravi Naik, former BCCI vice president Dayanand Narvekar, forest minister Felipe Neri Rodrigues and power minister Aleixo Sequeira were among the losers. The Congress party's alliance partner - NCP drew a blank as its seven candidates, including revenue minister Jose Philip D'Souza and tourism minister Nitin Halarnkar who lost in Vasco and Tivim constituencies respectively. The Alemao family, which comprised two Congress ministers and brothers - Churchill Alemao and Joaquim Alemao, suffered a major blow as all four of them were defeated in their respective constituencies. Churchill, who is famous all over India as director of Churchill Brothers Alemao lost to an independent Avertano Furtado while his daughter Valanka Alemao contesting from Benaulim constituency on Congress ticket lost to Goa Vikas Party nominee Caetano D'Silva. The tickets allotted to ten family members by Congress-NCP alliance was one of the major issues in the Goa elections. Joaquim's son -Yuri Alemao, who contested on NCP ticket lost to BJP candidate Subhash Phaldesai. BJP made inroads into several Congress assembly segments, though it lost only one in Fatorda to an independent. The BJP snatched several seats from Congress bastions, but the independents also wrought a major part of the damage, as several of them cut into their vote bank. Five independents were elected in the 40-member house. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Protect Goa's natural beauty Support Goa's first Tiger Reserve Sign the petition at: http://www.goanet.org/petition/petition.php ---------------------------------------------------------------------------