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BJP-backed panel sweeps Panaji municipal corporation polls, wins 27 of 30 seats
A BJP-backed panel led by MLA Atanasio Monserrate won 27 of 30 seats in the Panaji Municipal Corporation polls, securing a near-landslide victory in Goa’s capital
A panel of candidates backed by local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Atanasio Monserrate swept the Panaji Municipal Corporation election in Goa, winning 27 of the 30 seats in the state capital, according to results declared by the State Election Commission on Friday.
“I thank the party for giving me the opportunity to lead this panel. The Chief Minister and our party president have given me full backing and supported me throughout. I owe this win to the party. It is the people who are supreme and the people have shown it,” Monserrate said after the results were declared.
“All the parties came together to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party, but still the Bharatiya Janata Party is so strong that the coming together of all these forces could not defeat the BJP. It is about the party,” he added.
Monserrate’s son, Rohit Monserrate, who is the incumbent mayor of Panjim, was re-elected with a margin of around 273 votes.
The BJP-backed panel was running against a panel of candidates backed by Utpal Parrikar, the son of former Panjim MLA and former Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar. The latter won three seats, fewer than they won last time. In the 2021 elections, the Monserrate panel won 25 seats, the opposition won four, and an independent won one seat.
Voting for the elections was held on March 11 and saw a voter turnout of 69%.
Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant thanked the people of Panaji for the near-landslide victory for the party-backed panel.
“I express my heartfelt gratitude to the people of Panaji for giving a resounding mandate to the BJP-led panel in the CCP polls and for once again reaffirming your trust in our commitment to serve the city and continue the momentum of all-round development. This mandate reflects the faith of the people in our vision for a progressive, clean and well-governed Panaji, and strengthens our resolve to work with even greater dedication for the welfare of every citizen,” Sawant said.
