Panaji (Goa) [India], March 11 (ANI): Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Friday held a meeting with 20 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates who lost the Assembly elections to review the reasons behind loss on every seat. Speaking to ANI, Sawant said, “20 candidates of the BJP, who could not win, were called for a meeting and reviewed why they could not win. The shortcomings in winning the seats were reviewed.”
He also said that the candidates were encouraged to continue working for the welfare of the people and the country. On being asked the reason for the loss of these candidates, the Chief Minister said that there are varied reasons for each seat.
Earlier in the day, the last Cabinet meeting of the tenure was held in the state. In the meeting, it was decided that the Cabinet will be dissolved on March 14. “Today was the last cabinet meeting of the tenure. We thanked everyone. We also took a resolution to dissolve the assembly from March 14 as tenure is ending…The swearing-in ceremony of the new government will be decided by the central observer,” Sawant had said earlier in the day.
The BJP, which fell one seat short of the majority figure in Goa, is set to retain power in the state with the help of Maharashtrawadi Gomantak (MGP) and independent candidates. The BJP emerged as the single largest party in Goa winning 20 seats in the 40-member state assembly and decimated Congress to 11 seats. Independent candidates bagged three seats while two seats each went to the tally of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Maharashtrawadi Gomantak (MGP). Revolutionary Goans Party and Goa Forward Party (GFP) got one seat each. According to Election Commission, BJP got 33.31 per cent vote share followed by Congress (23.46 per cent), MGP (7.60 per cent), Aam Aadmi Party (6.77) and Trinamool Congress (5.21 per cent).
Goa election in-charge Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday evening said that it will form a full majority government in the coastal state with the support of Maharashtrawadi Gomantak (MGP) and three independent MLAs– Antonio Vas, Chandrakant Shetye and Alex Reginald. (ANI)
