Panaji: The vote counting of votes for the February 14 Assembly elections in Goa has begun. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the state is trying to come to power for the third time in a row, while opposition Congress is hopeful that the mandate will come in its favour this time. Goa saw a multi-cornered contest for 40 assembly seats due to the presence of several smaller and regional outfits besides the two main political parties BJP and Congress.
Earlier, election officials had said that counting of votes will be held at two places. Damodar College in Madgaon and Government Polytechnic College in Altinho in Panaji are witnessing vote counting for assembly segments falling in North Goa district and South Goa district respectively. Most exit polls have predicted a fractured mandate in Goa, forcing political parties to change their strategy keeping in mind the post-counting situation.
Before the counting of votes for the results of the Goa assembly elections began, the state's CM Pramod Sawant offered prayers at the Shri Dutta Temple. Out of the 40 assembly seats in Goa, the trend of 2 seats has been reported so far. Independent candidates are leading in both these seats.
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