Intense Battle for Goa's Lok Sabha Seats: BJP vs Congress

Vote counting for Goa's two Lok Sabha seats commenced, pitting ruling BJP against Congress. Polling was on May 7 with high voter turnout; North Goa had 76.34%, South Goa 73%. BJP's Shripad Naik and new candidate Pallavi Dempo face Congress contenders in a highly anticipated clash.

The counting of votes for the two Lok Sabha seats in Goa commenced Tuesday morning, setting the stage for an intense face-off between the ruling BJP and the Congress, which currently holds one of these key seats.

An election official confirmed that the counting process began at 8 am sharp. The voting took place in a single phase on May 7, with North Goa seeing a 76.34 per cent voter turnout and South Goa witnessing 73 per cent participation.

Each seat saw eight candidates vying for victory. For North Goa, the votes are being counted at Government Polytechnic College, Altinho in Panaji, while in South Goa, the counting is taking place at Damodar College in Margao.

In North Goa, sitting BJP MP Shripad Naik faces off against Congress candidate and former Union minister Ramakant Khalap, with the Revolutionary Goans Party (RGP) chief Manoj Parab also in the fray.

In South Goa, the Congress has fielded Viriato Fernandes after denying a ticket to its incumbent MP Francisco Sardinha. Fernandes is up against businesswoman Pallavi Dempo, a fresh face from the BJP.

North Goa hosts 157 counting tables, while South Goa has 161. To ensure fairness and accuracy, 236 micro observers have been deployed in North Goa and 242 in South Goa.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)