The Bharatiya Janata Party has won 30 seats in the Goa Zilla Panchayat elections. The counting of votes began at 8 am amid the deployment of heavy police personnel across the state.
The Indian National Congress has won eight seats, while two local parties of Goa-the Goa Forward Party and the Revolutionary Goans Party-bagged two seats each. Two Independents also registered victories in the elections.
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AAP gets two seats
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Besides this, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has won two seats in the elections. This was the big test for the Arvind Kejriwal-led party since the 2022 Assembly polls. In the Assembly elections, AAP won only two seats and secured 6.8 per cent of the vote share.
Goa minister: 'Congratulations to our winning candidates'
Goa Minister for health, Vishwajit Rane posted on X, "A decisive victory for the BJP in the Zilla Panchayat elections in Sattari. Congratulations to our winning candidates — Shri Premnath Dalvi (Nagar Gaon), Shri Nilesh Parwar (Honda), Shri Namdev Chari, and Smt. Samiksha Naik (Usgao). This mandate reflects the people’s clear choice for development, stability, and strong grassroots leadership."
There are 226 candidates in the fray, with 111 fighting in North Goa and 115 in South Goa. The Herald Goa cited that only nine incumbents have entered the fray, while 12 contestants had fought the polls in 2020.
Goa local polls a key indicator ahead of 2027 polls
Both North and South Goa zilla panchayats have 25 single-member constituencies each. In total, there are 50 Zilla Panchayat seats in Goa.
Local body polls are often considered a parameter of public sentiment for both the ruling party and the opposition ahead of the state Assembly elections. In Goa, the state Assembly elections are slated for 2027.