How Are Goa's Big Netas Faring? Sawant & Lobo Leading, Parrikar Junior Trails

Here is a live infographic to help you keep track of how the big netas and key candidates are faring in Goa.

As the counting of votes continues for 40 seats in Goa, here is a live interactive showing the current status of some of the big netas and other key candidates from the state.

Though the Congress had emerged as the single largest party in the 40-member House in 2017 by winning 17 seats, the BJP, which had won 13 seats, managed to form the government with the support of the Goa Forward Party (GFP) and the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), which had won three seats each, besides two Independents.

Key Candidates

Pramod Sawant (BJP)

Following then chief minister Manohar Parrikar's demise, Sawant was sworn in as the 13th CM in March 2019 after the BJP got letters of support from its allies on the assurance that both GFP president Vijai Sardesai and Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party MGP leader Ramkrishna Dhavalikar would be made deputy chief ministers.

Sawant is contesting the election from the Sanquelim Assembly constituency in North Goa and is facing Congress candidate Dharmesh Saglani and Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP's) Manojkumar Ghadi.

Digambar Kamat (Congress)

With a hung Assembly likely in Goa, the current Leader of the Opposition in Goa, Digambar Kamat, won/lost from Margao constituency as a Congress candidate against/defeating Goa’s Deputy Chief Minister Babu Azgaonkar and Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP's) Lincoln Anthony Vaz.

Kamat, a seven-time MLA, was the chief minister of the state from 2007 to 2012 and was succeeded by BJP's Manohar Parrikar in 2017.

Vijai Sardesai (GFP)

The Goa Forward Party chief is contesting from Fatorda, a seat he has won in both 2012 and 2017.

Sardesai also played a crucial role in helping the BJP form the government in 2017, for which the GFP chief was made Deputy Chief Minister.

However, after a brief stint in the BJP government, Sardesai was unceremoniously dumped by the saffron party in 2019.

This time, in an attempt to oust the BJP, the GFP has formed an alliance with the Congress with the GFP chief confident that the pact will root out the saffron party.

Amit Palekar (AAP)

Lawyer-turned-politician, Amit Palekar is Aam Aadmi Party's Chief Ministerial face in Goa and has contested from the St Cruz constituency in North Goa.

A newcomer to politics, Palekar belongs to the OBC Bhandari community in Goa and has been declared by AAP as the national convener.

Utpal Parrikar (Independent)

Rebelling against the BJP for denying him the party ticket to a seat his father, late Manohar Parrikar, had held for over 25 years, US-educated businessman Utpal has amped up the stakes in this contest and is contesting from the Panaji constituency.

Though Utpal has made no individual mark on the constituency that the BJP has held from 1994 to 2019, he seems poised to gain sympathy votes from Parrikar loyalists and a section of party loyalists.

Michael Lobo (Congress)

Michael Lobo, the Congress candidate, is contesting from the Calangute seat and is leading/trailing against BJP's Joseph Robert Sequeira and AAP's Sudesh Suresh Mathias.

Lobo, who held the portfolios of port and waste management under BJP leader and state Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, had quit the BJP after his wife Delilah Lobo was denied a ticket by the party.