All 4 major parties claim large turnout will give them absolute majority
GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 05 February 2017 12:51 ISTThere are four political parties which are in a position to form the next government in Goa with their own strength. And all four of them claim that the large turnout, equivalent to 2012, is in their favour.
These are the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party contesting 36 seats while supporting independents in Navelim and Priol, Congress contesting 37 seats while supporting candidates in Porvorim and Panaji, Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party contesting 24 seats in alliance with 5 of Goa Suraksha Manch and 3 of Shivsena and Aam Aadmi Party contesting 39 seats.
They have also provided their estimates of winning sure and probable seats at a Rannmallem debate on Goa365 TV channel held last night.
Except AAP, nobody is even prepared to comment on the probability of a hung Assembly and thus avoids disclosing their strategy post-results scheduled on 11th March.
“We will neither support anybody nor take anybody’s support to form the government. We would prefer to sit as a constructive opposition”, says Dinesh Singh Waghela, a Goan representing AAP national executive.
“There cannot be a hung Assembly. The large voters’ turnout is in favour of giving us comfortable majority in the 40-member House.”
This is a feeling expressed by AICC secretary Girish Chodankar, Goa general secretary of BJP Sadanand Shet Tanavde and MGP’s central executive member Mohan Verenkar.
While the polling held yesterday has recorded over 82.23 per cent turnout, polling on one booth at T B Cunha high school in Margao has been postponed due to EVM goof up.
The turnout is equivalent to 81.80 per cent voting recorded in the 2012 Assembly election, which was termed as the Parivartan wave.
The last election, for the first time, had pushed down the Congress to single digit of 9 while zooming up BJP count to 21 with absolute majority.
“The large turnout of 82 per cent in 2012 was for a change in support of the BJP-MGP alliance and also now it is for a change in favour of a grand alliance of MGP-GSM-SS which will defeat both the BJP and the Congress”, claims MGP’s Verenkar.
But BJP’s Tanavde simply laughs out Verenkar’s claim that the alliance will defeat at least 5 BJP MLAs, including chief minister Laxmikant Parsekar.
“The large turnout in both the elections was a result of our booth management in favour of the BJP, not anti-establishment”, he claims.
According to Congress leader Chodankar, people have once again come out in large number to teach a lesson to the BJP like how they had done it for the Congress in 2012.
“This is a clear anti-establishment vote and it would go in favour of our clean image this time with 60 per cent new faces and no family raj”, he says.
AAP leader Waghela however prefers to combine large turnout with silent voter, who, according to him, is advantage AAP.
“We are the cleanest party among all and you will get many surprises on 11th March”, he predicts.
And these are the rough estimates they have provided about the sure and probable seats they would win.
PARTY |
CONTESTING |
SURE |
PROBABLE |
BJP |
36 |
21 |
5 |
Cong |
37 |
18 |
10 |
AAP |
39 |
23 |
7 |
MGP |
24 |
14 |
8 |
AAP volunteers/supporters should guard the EVMs round the clock till 11 March. AAP is the only hope of the Middle Class and Poor people of India. It is a matter of one month. AAP can do it by shift-wise. AAP cannot take risk by staying in the house and corrupt people tampered or replace EVM and destroy the future of Middle Class and Poor people of India. God Bless.
Each candidate should allow to put their Seal-Pack on the EVM before it is taken to the Security EVM Guard Room. This will satisfy all the candidates that their votes in EVM are safe and cannot be replace with another EVM while bringing for counting. They can check their party’s Seal before allowing to remove the seal for counting. This can give guarantee to each candidate that the same EVM has brought for counting.