new Delhi: Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant is in Delhi on Thursday to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of the state election results. The meeting assumes significance with exit polls predicting a hung mandate in Goa, which went to polls on February 14.
Sources say that Sawant will brief the Prime Minister about the party’s prospects of retaining power in Goa. This is the BJP’s first election in the seaside state after the death of charismatic former chief minister Manohar Parrikar in 2019.
After the meeting, Sawant will travel to Mumbai, where he and state BJP president Sadanand M Shet Tanawade will meet BJP’s Goa in-charge Devendra Fadnavis. Fadnavis is believed to be in talks with the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) for an alliance. BJP is also ready to reach out to independent candidates.
The BJP has rubbished exit poll predictions in Goa and expressed confidence that it will be the single largest and in a position to form the government.
Exit poll polls showed a one-on-one fight in Goa after polling ended yesterday.
According to News24-Today’s Chanakya exit poll, both the BJP and the Congress are likely to win 14 and 16 out of 40 seats in the state, falling short of the majority mark of 21. On the other hand, others are expected to win 6 seats, which is going to contribute a lot in forming the government.
A similar upheaval occurred in Goa after the 2017 election, when the Congress won the largest with 17 seats, but failed to take power. The BJP, which had 13 seats, took power in alliance with smaller parties, including the MGP and independent legislators.
In 2019, when Sawant took over as chief minister following Parrikar’s death, two MGP ministers were dropped. The MGP has said it will not support the Pramod Sawant-led BJP, but the chief minister says there are “no personal differences” with the party.
first published:March 8, 2022, 11:54 am
,