(Embargoed: For publication/broadcast after 1700 hrs today)

Panaji, May 31 (UNI) Campaigning for the June 2 elections to the 40-member Goa Legislative Assembly ended on a peaceful note today.

The ruling Congress and the opposition BJP are vying with each other claiming to provide ''stable and progressive'' government with an appeal to give them absolute majority without the need for taking the help of small time parties avoiding horse trading.

With almost a total ban imposed on using banners, posters and other publicity material for the elections, particularly in view of the Goa Public Property Defacement Act, the candidates were forced to go door-to-door for campaigning, besides resorting to advertisements in the newspapers and the local channels.

Some of the newspapers resorted to surrogate ads where advertisements go in the form of news in favour of one or the other candidate. Such ads were earlier published as advertorials and this time that ethical principle was given a go by.

In the last days of campaigning, the candidates and parties started distributing leaflets through newspaper inserts.

Election authorities have booked several cases against candidates and parties for malpractices including offering of bribes and liquor.

Chief Electoral Officer Ramesh Negi told UNI that the authorities have deployed 19 companies of para military forces so far at different places. They included five Special Security Bal (SSB) and 14 companies of CISF. Four more companies are likely to be deployed in the sensitive areas.

All the 70 stations identified as sensitive would be videographed to check the possibility of bogus voting by 12,500 voters identified as ''missing'' during verification.

About 1,200 of them are located in the sensitive Taliegaoand Fatorda constituencies each.

The authorities also announced that they would allow voting by the electorate, who were not given the EPIC cards, if they carried with them 13 other valid documents as proof of their identity.

Top leaders of the Congress including the party supremo Sonia Gandhi followed by several other leaders triggered the campaign for the party besides film actress Nagma.

Ms Sonia Gandhi addressed the rallies in the capital city of Panaji for North Goa candidates and Margao for the South Goa candidates on different dates.

Others who campaigned included Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, Minister Narayanrao Rane, Minister of State in the PMO office Prithviraj Chauhan.

The Congress has fielded 32 candidates and its coalition partner six.

It is supporting an independent candidate Somnath Zuarkar in Taleigao following last minute resignation of the Congress nominee and former minister Atanasio (Babush) Monserrate after his wife Jennifer was denied the party ticket.

The Congress is unofficially supporting the independent candidate Viswajit Rane, son of Chief Minister Pratapsinh Rane, in backward Valpoi constituency in North Goa. Mr Viswajit also resigned at the last minute from the party with the party denying ticket to him under 'one-ticket-one-family' norm.

The party renominated all the sitting legislators except Harish Zantye, who opted out of contest. His son Pravin Zantye was given the ticket to contest from Myem.

The BJP, on the other hand, is contesting from 33 constituencies and has announced support to independent candidate Ms Nirmala Sawant in Cumbarjua against Transport Minister Pandurang Madkaikar.

It has given tickets to all the sitting MLAs except former Deputy Speaker Narahari who decided not to contest from Valpoi. Puti Goankar is contesting from the constituency now.

It is also supporting UGDP nominee Mathanhy Saldanha in Cortalim constituency for standing firmly by the BJP during the 2004-05 crisis that resulted in ouster of the Manohar Parrikar government.

The BJP, which has projected Leader of the Opposition Parrikar as the Chief Ministerial candidate, had launched its door-to-door campaign much before the election process began in Goa.

Mr Churchil Alemao, who quit the Congress party and membership of parliament from North Goa, has fielded 17 candidates on behalf of the 'Save Goa Front' he is heading to usurp power from the ''corrupt and inefficient Congress government''.

Shiv Sena is contesting as a mere strategy to make inroads into Goa besides projecting the Marathi interests.

Janata Dal (S) headed by former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda is doing the same to protect the interests of the migrant population from Karnataka.

He is camping all these days and had sat on a dharna to protest government's highhandedness in booking his party workers for carrying money meant for electioneering.

There are in all 202 candidates in the fray. These include Bharatiya Janata Party-33, Indian National Congress-32, the oldest Maharshtrawadi Gomanth Party-26, Nationalist Congress Party-6, Communist Party of India-4, GSP-1, JD(S)-11, RPI(A)-4, Save Goa Front (SGF)-17, UGDP-11, Shiv Sena-7 and Independents-50.

Housing minister Manohar (Babu) Azgaonkar is contesting from Dhargalim, the only constituency reserved for Scheduled Castes, now witnessing a four-cornered contest.

There will be straight fights in Panjim, Velim and Poinguinim and triangular contest in Poriem, Valpoi, Shiroda, Loutolim, Benaulim, Curtorim and Navelim.

UNI