Goa Assembly Election 2017: polling ends with around 83 per cent turnout

Polling for the 40 seats of the Goa Legislative Assembly ended on Saturday with turnout put at nearly 83 per cent. As in Punjab, the coastal state voted in a single phase, in a multi-cornered contest with 251 candidates. The BJP-led NDA was in power in the state going into the vote.

Who voted early

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, a former Chief Minister of Goa, was among the early voters and cast his ballot in Panaji. Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar voted in Mandrem, his coastal constituency, minutes after polls opened. Elvis Gomes, the chief ministerial candidate of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), also voted.

How turnout built up

• By 1 pm, overall turnout stood at 53 per cent.
• Turnout figures of 55 per cent for North Goa and 52 per cent for South Goa were also reported during the day.
• By 3 pm, the overall figure had reached 67 per cent.
• After voting closed, turnout was reported at nearly 83 per cent, with the Election Commission yet to announce the final figure.

Claims on polling day

Subhash Velingkar, a former chief of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in Goa, voted in Panaji. He predicted that the alliance of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, the Goa Suraksha Manch and the Shiv Sena would win 22 seats, and claimed that RSS cadre in the state would not vote for the BJP. “The BJP government has to go and will go,” he said, blaming the Goa BJP and Parrikar for the state’s problems.

Valmiki Naik, AAP’s candidate in Panaji, argued that both Congress and the BJP had already governed the state for five years each. “People have seen how corrupt they are. People will vote for AAP,” he said.

What happened next

In the 2017 Goa election, Congress won 17 seats, the BJP 13 and the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party 3. Manohar Parrikar was Chief Minister after the election.

See also: Members of the Goa Legislative Assembly

Originally published on 4 February 2017. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.

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