PANAJI: Goa will go to the polls on Saturday to elect its 40-member Assembly, even as the prospects of a hung House loom large.

The State has a tradition of high voter turnout; the figure was around 69 per cent in the 2002 Assembly elections. But political parties fear that the pre-monsoon showers could dampen the spirits of the voters, leading to a low turnout.

Rivals Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday traded charges over the alleged misuse of money to buy votes. Chief Electoral Officer Ramesh Negi on Thursday admitted that the Election Commission had not been able to fully control the "menace of money."

It is a do or die battle for both the ruling Congress-Nationalist Congress Party alliance and the Opposition BJP, which was ousted from power in February 2005, ahead of the Gujarat polls. The BJP has 33 candidates in the fray and the Congress 32, while the NCP has fielded eight candidates.

The Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), the regional outfit that ruled the erstwhile Union Territory for 16 years, has put up 26 candidates. The Janata Dal (S) is contesting 12 seats, the Communist Party of India four, the Republican Party of India (Athawale) four and the Shiv Sena seven. A total 50 Independent candidates are also in the fray.

The BJP's election campaign was launched by the Leader of the Opposition, L.K. Advani, who sought a mandate on the plank of "honesty and good governance." The campaign focussed on the alleged corruption during the Congress regime and used the massive land deals to accuse the Congress of "selling Goa."

BJP decision

The BJP has resolved not to form a government if it fails to get a clear mandate.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi visited Goa twice during the campaign and urged the people to keep the "divisive BJP" at bay to protect the State's communal harmony and peace.

If rebel Congress leader Churchill Alemao's "Save Goa Front" has the ability to upset the Congress applecart in the Catholic-dominated Salcete taluk of south Goa, the revived MGP could cut into the BJP's vote in the Hindu-dominated constituencies.

Emergence of JD(S)

A striking feature is the emergence of the Janata Dal (S), led by the former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, in Goa. The party is contesting in 12 constituencies and the migrant population, particularly the Kannadigas, could impact the outcome. Mr. Gowda's election plank is the alleged discrimination faced by migrants.

The BJP, which won in 17 of the 40 constituencies in 2002, had a vote share of 36 per cent as against the Congress, which polled 38 per cent votes, and won 16 seats. The NCP polled nearly 6 per cent votes and won one seat.

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