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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
