Counting for Goa Assembly today

Panaji: Counting of votes for the elections to the 40-member Goa Assembly will be taken up on Tuesday to decide the next government in the state, which has experienced political instability for the last one decade.

It will be held at three different stations spread across two districts. Two counting stations are in Panaji while one in Margao (south Goa).

"All the 40 constituency results would be out by 11 am," Goa Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Ramesh Negi said.

The first result is expected to be out before 0830 hrs IST, which will decide the fate of BJP's Chief Ministerial candidate Manohar Parrikar who is in fray from Panaji, the smallest constituency, against Congress' Dinar Tarcar in a straight fight.

While Panaji result will be out, simultaneously the counting will be over for Mandrem and Mormugao constituencies at two other counting stations.

According to the schedule available with CEO, Poriem constituency, which will decide the electoral fate of Chief Minister Pratpasinh Rane along with Valpoi constituency where his son Vishwajeet is fighting as an independent, will be taken up for counting in the last leg.

In all, 202 candidates, including 49 independents, were in the fray for election that was held on June 2.

Ahead of the vote count, leaders of ruling Congress and main Opposition BJP on Monday claimed they will form the next government in the state.

"We will get a simple majority and wrest power from Congress," former Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Manohar Parrikar said.

Asked to specify the number of seats he expected BJP to win, Parrikar said, "We will win at least 21 seats" in the 40-member assembly polling for which was held on June 2.

Parrikar had earlier stated that his party would "prefer to sit in Opposition if it fails to get a clear-cut majority".

Senior Congress party leader and MP Shantaram Naik said, his party would get a 'comfortable majority' and retain power.

"Initially, we projected that Congress would garner around 30 seats but that figure has come down in the backdrop of smaller parties managing to split votes," Naik said.

Churchill Alemao, leader of a prominent small party, Naik alluded to, said "no party will be in a position to form the next government in Goa without my support".