Thaindian News

Panaji, March 6 (IANS) Riding on a strong anti-incumbency wave, the Bharatiya Janata Party-Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (BJP-MGP) alliance romped home Tuesday by winning 24 seats in the 40 member Goa assembly.

The BJP won 21 seats - a simple majority on its own - while the MGP won three seats. The Congress won only nine seats, with its coalition partner Nationalist Congress party (NCP) failing to win a single seat.

The regional Goa Vikas Party (GVP) led by former tourism minister Francisco Pacheco won two seats, while five Independents emerged victorious.

Chief Minister Digambar Kamat submitted his resignation to Goa Governor K. Sankaranarayan Tuesday afternoon. It was accepted and Kamat was asked to continue till alternate arrangements are made.

The BJP-MGP alliance is expected to stake its claim to form government either late Tuesday or on Wednesday, after meeting of the legislature wings of the two parties and consultations between the leadership on finalising the name of the chief minister.

Speaking to reporters after the results were out, Manohar Parrikar, a hot favourite for the top post, said that among the new government’s first tasks would be to deliver the promises made in the BJP’s election manifesto, which includes lowering the petrol price to Rs.55 and handing over corruption and illegal mining related cases to the Lokayukta that the party had promised to institute within 100 days of coming to power.

“Hindus, Christians and Muslims have all reposed faith in the BJP and have ousted the Congress. And I will make sure that the BJP repays their faith manifold,” said Parrikar, thanking the people for the record mandate for his party.

This is the first time that the BJP, which has ruled Goa with the help of wobbly alliances and coups in the past, has won a simple majority in the state.

Congressmen were universal in blaming the party’s rout on the high command for its policy of giving tickets to the kin of sitting legislators.

“The family raaj was the Congress’ Waterloo. It was embarrassing… the Delhi leaders who came to Goa for canvassing have no explanation for family raj. The Congress has scored a self-goal. We should now perform the role of a constructive opposition,” Congress spokesperson Ramakant Khalap said.

The Alemao family, which was allotted four tickets by the Congress-NCP alliance, lost all four seats, while home minister Ravi Naik and his son Roy, who were contesting on Congress tickets also lost.

Congress leaders across the board have called for collective introspection into the massive loss. “We accept our loss. We need to introspect on this mandate,” Congress MP Shantaram Naik said.

A few minutes before submitting his resignation, Kamat said that one of the reasons for Congress massive loss could have been the treatment meted out to him by the party.

“People were asking me why I was sidelined by the party despite the fact that I headed a stable government for five years,” said Kamat, who was virtually missing from the Congress’ electoral campaign.

The NCP, which had three members in the outgoing assembly, failed to win a single seat this time round. The Trinamool Congress, which made its electoral debut, also failed to make an impression, with its state president Wilfred de Souza, who was contesting from Aldona constituency, garnering only a little over 600 votes.

While Pacheco has expressed his party’s support to the BJP-MGP combine, independent candidates like Avertano Furtado (Navelim) and Naresh Sawal (Bicholim) have also said that they would back the alliance.

Several top Congress leaders, including ex-chief ministers Churchill Alemao and Ravi Naik, the elections, along with six other cabinet ministers who were contesting on Congress or NCP tickets.

Nearly half of the 40 members - 19 - elected to the 12th Goa assembly will be making their legislative debut.

Illegal mining, corruption, medium of instruction issue and tickets being given to kin of sitting legislators were some of the key issues during the run-up to the polls on March 3.

The coalition government had faced allegations of large scale corruption, pandering to the illegal mining lobby, nepotism and malgovernance in the five years it was in power since 2007.