Punjab, Goa Assembly elections campaign ends: All you need to know in 10 points
In Punjab, the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP alliance is facing stiff competition from the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party.
The campaign for Assembly elections in Punjab and Goa ended at 5 pm today. Both the states will go to polls on February 4, and the results will be declared on March 11.
In Punjab, the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP alliance is facing stiff competition from the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party.
In Goa, Laxmikant Parsekar-led BJP government is in contest with the Aam Aadmi Party, the Congress and the Shiv Sena-MGP-GSM grand alliance.
The Maharashtrwadi Gomnatak Party (MGP) which walked out of the alliance with the BJP just ahead of the election, has joined hands with the Shiv Sena and Goa Suraksha Manch (GSM).
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- In Punjab, election will be held on 117 assembly constituencies. Drugs and farmer suicides have dominated the campaign discourse.
- The Congress has named Captain Amarinder Singh as its chief ministerial face in Punjab, who will contest from Lambi as well as Patiala, his home turf. Amarinder Singh has vowed to defeat Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal in the latter's backyard--Lambi.
- The Aam Aadmi Party has fielded Jarnail Singh, a Delhi journalist turned politician, from Lambi. Jarnail is best known for throwing a shoe at then Home Minister P Chidambaram in 2009.
- The Congress' latest entrant Navjot Singh Sidhu, a former BJP leader who was also in talks with the AAP ahead of the election, will fight from Amritsar East constituency. Sidhu, who called himself a born Congressman, will be in contest with Sarabjot Singh Dhanjal of AAP and BJP's Rajesh Hani. The seat is held by Sidhu's wife Navjot Kaur.
- Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal is set to contest from Jalalabad, a seat he currently holds. A high-octane battle is expected in the constituency with AAP fielding Bhagwant Mann and the Congress fielding Ranveet Singh Bittu, grandson of former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh.
- In Goa, 40 Assembly seats are up for grabs, with new player AAP nipping at the heels of the ruling BJP government.
- The BJP is banking on Narendra Modi's appeal and former Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar's popularity to win the election the state. Speculations are rife that Parrikar could be back as the chief minister if BJP is voter to power but the party is tight-lipped on it.
- The Aam Aadmi Party has announced Elvis Gomes, a former bureaucrat, as its chief ministerial candidate. The party has launched a massive campaign and is banking on its "clean image" to woo the voters.
- In a setback to the BJP, RSS rebel Subhash Velingkar announced the formation of a new three-party political alliance between the Maharashtrwadi Gomnatak Party, the Shiv Sena and Goa Suraksha Manch. Former PWD minister and MGP leader Sudin Dhavalikar is the chief ministerial candidate of the alliance.
- Meanwhile, the 48-hour prohibition in the two poll-bound states starts at 5 pm today and will continue will 5pm on Saturday. The Election Commission has imposed prohibition on broadcasting or propagating election-related material on TV, radio or newspapers.
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