Panaji (Goa) [India], March 10 (ANI): Counting of votes to the Goa assembly elections began on Thursday to decide the fate of the 301 candidates from 40 Assembly seats.

New Delhi [India], March 10 (ANI): Amid predictions of a hung assembly, leaders of BJP and Congress in Goa would be keeping a close watch on the results of assembly elections on Thursday to assess their chances of forming government in the state.

Panaji (Goa) [India], February 13 (ANI): In the absence of the former state Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is facing an uphill task in Goa to retain power as Congress tries to regain lost ground and the new entrants of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Trinamool Congress making the polls a multi-corner contest. Parrikar was credited to have been the architect of the rise of the BJP in Goa.

Panaji (Goa) [India], February 13 (ANI): With campaigning for the 40 Assembly seats Goa concluding on Saturday, the state will go to polls in a single phase on Monday. The incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is being challenged by Congress, Trinamool Congress and Aam Admi Party (AAP) in a multi-cornered electoral contest in Goa.

Panaji (Goa) [India], January 29 (ANI): Utpal Parrikar, son of former Goa Chief Minister Late Manohar Parrikar on Saturday said that circumstances forced him to take a decision of contesting as an independent candidate from Panaji in the ensuing Goa Assembly polls.

Panaji (Goa) [India], January 24 (ANI): Following Utpal Parrikar's resignation from the BJP and his decision to contest the upcoming Goa Assembly polls as an independent candidate after the party denied him a ticket from the Panaji constituency, General Secretary CT Ravi requested him to reconsider his decision and fulfil his father, former Goa CM Manohar Parrikar's dream.

Panaji (Goa) [India], January 22 (ANI): Utpal Parrikar, son of former CM Manohar Parrikar who decided to contest the upcoming Goa election as an independent candidate from Panaji constituency, on Saturday said that his stand on Panaji is a 'principled stand'.

Panaji (Goa) [India], January 22 (ANI): Utpal Parrikar, son of former CM Manohar Parrikar, resigned from the primary membership of BJP on Friday after the party denied him a ticket from Panaji constituency and fielded Congress party turncoat Atanasio "Babush" Monserrate.

New Delhi Jan 20 PTI The BJP released its first list of 34 candidates for the Goa Assembly polls on Thursday with Utpal Parrikars name missing from it as the party has preferred Atanasio Babush Monserrate over him from PanajiUtpal Parrikar son of former chief minister Manohar Parrikar and a senior BJP leader had expressed his desire to contest from Panaji his fathers seat where the party has decided to field Monserrate who is the sitting MLA and a former Congress leaderAddressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters here the partys poll in-charge for Goa Devendra Fadnavis said for the BJP the Parrikar family is its own familyBut from the seat that Utpal wanted to contest we already have a sitting MLA and it would not be fair to drop him However we have given him the option of contesting from two other seats and the talks are progressing in that direction Fadnavis saidThe BJPs list of 34 candidates which was released by party general secretary Arun Singh along with Fadnavis includes the names of two couplesWhile Monserrate is the saffron partys nominee from Panaji his wife has been fielded from Taleigao Similarly another former Congress leader Vishwajit Rane will contest on a BJP ticket from Valpoi and his wife Divya Rane from PoriemBoth the couples are from traditionally Congress familiesResponding to a question on why the BJP which usually gives one poll ticket to a family has made an exception in Goa Fadnavis termed it an occupational hazardSometimes in politics we see what we call an occupational hazard Both Babush Monserrate and his wife were elected and then joined the BJP Jennifer Monserrate has a separate identity and she is a minister in the current BJP government Similarly Vishwajit Rane has been given a ticket from his seat and his wife from his father Pratapsingh Ranes seat he saidChief Minister Pramod Sawant will again be the BJPs candidate from SanquelimFadnavis said the BJP has ushered in a new era of development in Goa in the last 10 years while also ensuring stabilityPolling for the 40-member Goa Assembly will be held on February 14 and the counting of votes will be taken up on March 10 With the entry of the Aam Aadmi Party AAP and the Trinamool Congress TMC a multi-cornered electoral contest is expected in the coastal state PTI JTR RC