Goa Polls 2017 Know all about key candidates

Goa Polls 2017: Know all about key candidates

Goa witnessed a four-cornered fight with BJP, Congress, AAP and Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party-led alliance were vying for mandate to rule Goa. Besides them, small parties and Independents were also in the fray.

The main fight for the 40-member assembly, which went to polls on February 4 and recorded an impressive turnout of 83 per cent, is between the BJP and the Congress.

The Aam Admi Party also made a serious bid this time round, contesting a majority of seats. The BJP fielded candidates in 36 constituencies and supported Independents in the remaining seats.

Congress, the main opposition in the state, has fielded its nominees in 37 seats and backed the candidates of the United Goan, Goa Forward and an Independent in the rest.

The outcome will also decide the fate of the alliance between Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), Goa Suraksha Manch (GSM) and the Shiv Sena.

Here's a list of key candidates of Goa Polls 2017:

Goa Polls 2017: Know all about key candidates

Laxmikant Parsekar

Party: BJP

Laxmikant Parsekar is the current Chief Minister of Goa and belongs to BJP. He replaced Manohar Parrikar and has been serving the state since 2014. The three-term MLA from Mandrem has been leading the ruling BJP's charge. This election will be a test for Parsekar to come out of Parrikar's shadow and become a leader in his own right.

Goa Polls 2017: Know all about key candidates

Digambar Kamat 

Party: Congress

Ex-chief minister of Goa, Dimagbar Kamat is fighting the elections from Congress. He served the state for five years between 2007 and 2012. Kamat was the last chief minister from the Congress and is currently facing several cases of corruption, including the Luois Berger bribery scandal.

Goa Polls 2017: Know all about key candidates

Elvis Gomes 

Party: AAP

An ex-bureaucrat Elvis Gomes happens to be the chief ministerial candidate nominated by Aam Aadmi Party. Gomes opted for voluntary retirement in July 2016 at the time when he was about to be promoted as an IAS officer. His image of an upright, hardworking bureaucrat garnered him immense popularity  during the campaigns. However, his name cropped up in a land scam case in which he denies any role. He fought from South Goa's Cuncolim seat. 

Goa Polls 2017: Know all about key candidates

Francis D’Souza 

Party: BJP

Francis D'Souza entered Goa Assembly in 1999 and remains undefeated since then. He was appointed deputy chief minister when Parrikar formed the government in 2012. He was seen as a strong contender to replace Parrikar as chief minister in 2014.

Goa Polls 2017: Know all about key candidates

Sudin Dhavalikar 

Party: MGP

The Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) have their projected Ramkrishna alias Sudin Dhavalikar, elder of the two Dhavalikar brothers, as a powerful candidate for Goa Polls 2017. He is a three-term member of the Goa Legislative Assembly representing the Marcaim constituency.