Campaign For Goa Assembly Poll Ends

Anupama Dash February 12, 2022

1 minute read

Panaji, Feb 12: The high-octane campaign for the assembly elections in Goa came to an end on Saturday evening. The election process has now entered a silent campaign period of 48 hours which will culminate with the beginning of polling in the 40 assembly constituencies on Monday.

The campaign saw high profile leaders like Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP National President J P Nadda, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Trinamool Congress National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee, Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, former union minister P Chidambaram, union minister Smriti Irani, Maharashtra minister Aditya Thackeray, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal campaigning for their party candidates and making the atmosphere highly surcharged.

As per the guidelines of the Election Commission of India (ECI), campaigning has to end 48 hours before close of polls.

Initially, the campaign was a low-key affair due to Covid 19 and its Omicron variant but slowly it picked up momentum as the day for polls approached. For the first time, ruling BJP, for whom the election is a litmus test, has fielded its candidates in all the 40 constituencies. Congress has tied up with Goa Forward Party (GFP). While Congress has fielded 37 candidates, GFP has fielded three.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), whose leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal left no stone unturned to reach out to the voters, contesting 39 seats and has extended support to an independent candidate.

Shiv Sena is contesting 11 seats while its ally Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has fielded candidates in 12 constituencies.

Independents, who are testing their luck, too were seen in action and conducting door-to-door campaigns. Almost all the parties contesting the assembly elections exuded confidence of winning the elections and forming the next government in the coastal state. Section 144 of CrPC has been imposed in both the districts in the state in view of the assembly elections.

Goa will go for polls on February 14.