Early trends show BJP and Congress head-to-head in Goa, with both parties leading in one constituency each. While Shripad Naik of the BJP is leading against Congress' Girish Chodankar from North Goa constituency. In South Goa, Cosme Francisco Caitano Sardinha of the Congress is leading.
Goa saw BJP's confidence dip quite evidently when its tallest leader, former CM and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, died of prolonged illness. Two parliamentary seats went to polls during the third phase of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections on April 23, for the first time in many decades in the absence of Parrikar. By-elections to three Assembly seats—Shiroda, Mapusa and Mandrem were also held simultaneously in the third phase. While voting for the bypoll to the Panaji assembly constituency was held on May 19 along with the last phase of the Lok Sabha Polls.
Since this is the first elections to be held in the state after Parrikar’s demise, the chances of the BJP retaining the two Lok Sabha seats in the state will be a huge challenge.
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Here are the latest developments from the state-
-Cosme Francisco Caitano Sardinha of Congress is leading from South Goa constituency. He is up against sitting BJP MP Narendra Sawaikar. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Sawaikar won in this seat by defeating the INC candidate by a margin of 32,330 votes.
-Shripad Yesso Naik of BJP is leading from North Goa constituency, where he is facing a challenge from Congress president Girish Chodankar. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Shripad Yesso Naik of BJP won in this seat by defeating the INC candidate by a margin of 1,05,599 votes.
-Bypolls in Panaji and Mapusa were necessitated due to the deaths of sitting MLAs Manohar Parrikar and Francis D'Souza, respectively, while in two other seats due to the resignation of the two Congress MLAs--Subhash Shirodkar and Dayanand Sopte-- last year who later joined BJP.
- Prominent among the four constituencies is Panaji which was represented by chief minister Manohar Parrikar till his death in March this year.
- The BJP has fielded its former MLA Siddharth Kunkolienkar against former minister Atanasio Monserratte of the Congress in Panaji. Former Goa RSS chief Subhash Velingkar is also in the fray as the Goa Suraksha Manch (GSM) candidate.
-In Mapusa assembly constituency, late MLA Francis D'Souza son Joshua is contesting on BJP ticket against Sudhir Kandolkar of Congress.
-In Mandrem, BJP's Dayanand Sopte is battling Babi Bagkar of the Congress, Swaroop Naik of the GSM and Independent nominee Jeet Arolkar.
-In Shiroda, the BJP has fielded Subhash Shirodkar against Mahadev Naik of the Congress and Deepak Dhavalikar of Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP).
- In 2014 Lok Sabha elections, BJP had won both Lok Sabha seats in Goa.
- BJP regained the South Goa Lok Sabha seat from Congress after 15 years in the 2014 general elections when Narendra Sawaiker won the seat.
-The Congress and BJP have 14 members each in the 40-member assembly. Three Goa Forward Party MLAs and three Independents support the BJP government in the state.
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