Team Herald
PANJIM: The State Presidents of both the national parties – BJP and Congress – are vying for the lone Rajya Sabha seat from Goa, polling for which will be held on Friday.
The ruling coalition – BJP-MGP-Goa Forward and Independents – has fielded State BJP Chief Vinay Tendulkar as their candidate, while the opposition Congress has nominated their President and sitting MP Shantaram Naik.
Naik’s six-year term in the Rajya Sabha Naik is due to expire on his retirement on July 28. Polling will take place between 10.00 am and 4.00 pm. Counting is scheduled the same evening at 5.00pm.
Tendulkar, has an upper hand in the election with the coalition having 21 MLAs in the 38-member State Assembly. This includes 12 from the BJP and three each from MGP, Goa Forward and Independents. Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar and Health Minister Vishwajit Rane are not entitled to vote as they are not MLAs.
For Congress the election comes at a time, when the party is facing a major rebellion. The party has 16 MLAs, however, four Congress MLAs cross voted during the Presidential election held on July 17, while the vote of one other was invalid.
