Former chief minister of Goa and six-time MLA Digambar Kamat has won again from his bastion Margao on a Congress ticket.
In what comes as no surprise for many, former chief minister of Goa and six-time MLA Digambar Kamat has won again from his bastion Margao on a Congress ticket. The veteran politician secured over 13600 votes, leaving behind candidates cutting across party lines with a considerable margin. BJP's Ajgaonkar Manohar (Babu) bagged over 5800 votes, making in the first runner-up in the constituency.
68-year-old Kamat has oscillated between the BJP and Congress, but that never affected his popularity, especially in Margao. He won from Margao in 1994, 1999, and 2002 on a BJP ticket and won in 2007, 2012, and 2017 on a Congress ticket.
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Meanwhile, in an exclusive interview with Asianet Newsable recently, former Goa CM Digambar Kamat lashed out at AAP and debutant Trinamool Congress, stating that Goans will not allow outsiders to rule them. Kamat also noted that even though several Congress's MLAs left the party, their workers are still intact. Congress's vote base is still strong in the region, and there is no damage made there, he added.
Exit polls had earlier indicated that the coastal state might be heading for another hung assembly, much like the cliffhanger of 2017. Data predicted both BJP and the Congress would end up with around 15-18 seats each in the 40-member house. The kingmaker is likely to be Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress, which might win 2-4 seats.
No. of candidates that contested: 5
Ajgaonkar Manohar(Babu) - BJP
Digambar Kamat - Congress
Lincoln Anthony Vaz - AAP
Mahesh Amonkar - AITC
Shashiraj Subha Naik Shirodkar - Revolutionary Goans Party
Election issues in 2022:
If they return to power in the state, reviving mining in Goa is one of Congress' key focus areas. The Grand Old Party also aims to strengthen the utility of resources to become an IT or pharmaceutical hub.
The vote share in 2017:
In the 2017 Goa Assembly elections, Congress' Digambar Vasant Kamat defeated Sharmad Raiturkar of the BJP by a margin of 4,176 votes, accounting for 18.68 per cent of the total votes cast for the seat. In 2017, INC received 54.15 per cent of the vote in this seat.
Goa Election 2022 voter turnout:
The estimated voter turnout in this seat in the 2022 Goa Assembly elections was 74.84 per cent. In 2017, this seat had a voter turnout of 78.6 per cent.