BJP Alliance Wins Goa ZP Election, Defying Congress in Key Rural Polls

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Panaji, Goa: In a decisive victory, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led alliance has secured 31 out of 50 seats in the zilla panchayat elections held on December 20. The BJP and its ally, Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), won 29 and 3 seats respectively, emerging as the single largest party in the district panchayat elections. Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the party workers on their win, saying that Goa's people have chosen progressive politics and good governance. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant hailed the victory as a testament to the leadership of Prime Minister Modi and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). The Congress party, however, attributed the BJP's success to a split in the opposition votes. Congress MLA Carlos Alvares Ferreira acknowledged that the opposition would have lost if their votes were combined. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Revolutionary Goans Party (RGP) also managed to secure one seat each, while four independent candidates won their respective seats. Goa BJP president Damodar Naik attributed the party's victory to the people's faith in the ruling BJP, despite the elections being held on ballot papers rather than electronic voting machines (EVMs). The results have come as a setback to the Congress party, which had been seeking to link BJP victories to EVMs in the past. The zilla panchayat elections were held across 14 centres in North and South Goa, with a total of 226 candidates in the fray. The results have significant implications for the state's rural politics, with the BJP alliance set to play a dominant role in the district panchayats.