BJP claims to have won in 150 out of 180 village panchayats in Goa

PTI, Aug 13, 2022, 8:45 AM IST

Representative Image (Source: PTI)

Panaji: The ruling BJP on Friday claimed that candidates affiliated to it won in nearly 150 out of 186 village panchayats in Goa which went to the polls two days ago.

Counting for the August 10 elections was held at 21 centers on Friday.

Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said this was one of the biggest victories in Goa for the Bharatiya Janata Party.

“At least in 140 to 150 panchayats, BJP cadres will be elected as sarpanchas,” the chief minister said.

The victory will help the BJP government in the state implement its programmes at the grassroots level effectively, he said.

State BJP chief Sadanand Shet Tanavade said the mandate the party has received was overwhelming.

“Though the election was not fought on party symbols, the results indicate BJP workers won in majority of panchayats,” he said, adding that people have shown faith in the leadership of Pramod Sawant and his government.

Opposition Congress received shocking setbacks in some villages, he claimed.

“For instance, in Calangute panchayat, the panel fielded by local MLA and Congress leader Michael Lobo lost,” Tanavade said.

Counting of votes began at 8 am and continued till 7 pm, officials said.

Revolutionary Goans, a newly-formed party, claimed to have won in St Andre Assembly constituency where its candidate had won in this year’s Assembly elections.

Its MLA Viresh Borkar claimed that the party’s candidates defeated the panel fielded by former BJP MLA Francis Silveira.

Congress MLAs Altone D’Costa and Yuri Alemao claimed that their candidates won in majority of panchayats in their respective constituencies — Quepem and Cuncolim in the South Goa district.

People voted for good governance at the grassroots level, D’Costa said.

Goekarncho Ekvot, a non-profit organization working for environmental causes, claimed that its candidates won in Velsao village panchayat in the South Goa district.

Out of seven panch members, its candidates won five seats, it claimed.

The elections were held through ballot papers. A total of 5,038 candidates were in the fray in 1,464 wards.

As much as 78.70 percent voter turnout had been recorded.