Two pc swing decides fortune in favour of Cong in Goa

Panaji, June 10 (UNI) A mere 2 per cent of votes made the difference in favour of the Congress which rode back to power forming a coalition government in Goa after the June 2 elections to the 40-member Legislative Assembly.

The Congress with 32 per cent of votes (22,9,253) secured 16 seats. On the otherh and, the rival BJP which got 30 per cent votes (21,5,605) with 14 seats was forced to sit in the Opposition again.

About 69 per cent of the 1.01 million electorate exercised their franchise despite heavy downpour on the day of election, giving a fractured mandate.

The BJP contested for the highest 33 seats followed by its rival Congress 32, the oldest Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP)- 26, Save Goa Front (SGF)- 17, JD(S) and UGDP- 11 each, Shiv Sena- 7, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)- 6, Communist Party of India (CPI)- 3, CPI (Marxist)- 1, RPI(A)- 4, GSP- 1, and Independents- 50.

The Janata Dal(S) headed by former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, which fielded 11 candidates including a woman, secured the lowest of 1 per cent votes.

The NCP, which forged pre-poll alliance and contested from six constituencies, secured 5 per cent votes but bagged 3 seats as against 2 in the last house.

The United Goans Democratic Party (UGDP), which also secured 5 per cent votes, however won in only the Taliegao constituency electing former minister Atanasio (Babush) Monserrate.

The nascent regional outfit ''Save Goa Front'', headed by Congress rebel and former Chief Minister Churchill Alemao, secured 8 per cent votes and won 2 seats.

The MGP, which fielded 26 candidates, got 9 per cent of the votes and bagged 2 seats electing former PWD minister Ramakrishna (Sudin) Dhavlikar and his brother Deepak Dhavlikar.

Others including independents, communists, Shiv Sena, Republican Party of India and Goa Su-Raj Party got 10 per cent of votes.

UNI