PANJI: Voting is currently underway in the constituencies of Valpoi and the crucial Panaji seat — a clear battle between the BJP and the Congress. In Panaji, Parrikar is contesting against Congress AICC Secretary and party vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s confidante Girish Chodankar. In Valpoi, the BJP has fielded Congress rebel and Health Minister Vishwajeet Rane, whose main opponent is Roy Naik, the son of former state Home minister and Congress leader Ravi Naik. Panaji has been represented by the BJP since 1994.
Polling will be held across 76 booths including 30 in Panaji and 46 in Valpoi, and will end at 5 pm. According to data released by the Election Commission, 51,032 voters are eligible to cast their votes — 22,203 in Panaji and 28,829 in Valpoi. Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) will also be used in the bypolls.
“Around 1,000 personnel from agencies like the Goa police, India Reserve Battalion and Central Paramilitary Forces are deployed at various locations,” North Goa Collector Nila Mohanan said, adding that necessary security arrangements have been made to ensure polling passes off peacefully.
The Panaji bypoll was necessitated after BJP’s sitting MLA Siddharth Kuncolienkar vacated the seat for Parrikar, as the latter has to get elected to the Assembly within six months of becoming the Chief Minister. Parrikar is currently a Rajya Sabha MP representing Lucknow.
The Valpoi by-election became necessary after Rane, then a sitting Congress MLA, joined the BJP after the Parrikar-led government won a crucial floor test in March this year. Rane did not vote in the floor test.
In the Assembly elections, the Congress won 17 seats and the BJP 13 in the 40-member House.
However, the saffron party formed the government under Parrikar with the crucial backing of three MLAs each of the Goa Forward Party (GFP), Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), and three Independents. The counting of votes will take place on August 28.
