Voting for the third phase of Lok Sabha elections will take place on May 7 across 93 constituencies. In this phase, both the Lok Sabha seats of Goa - North Goa and South Goa - will go to polls.
The other states and Union territories which will vote in the second phase include Assam (4 constituencies), Bihar (5 constituencies), Chhattisgarh (7 constituencies), Goa (2 constituencies), Gujarat (26 constituencies), Karnataka (14 constituencies), Maharashtra (11 constituencies), Uttar Pradesh (10 constituencies), West Bengal (4 constituencies) and Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu (2 constituencies).
Also read | Goa Lok Sabha elections 2024: Key parties contesting the polls
The North Goa seat has been a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stronghold since 1999 (then Panaji Lok Sabha constituency). The constituency has switched between the Congress and the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party from 1962 to 1998. However, no party has been able to snatch power from the saffron party since 1999. The North Goa constituency is currently represented by Shripad Yesso Naik, who defeated Congress leader Girish Chodankar in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections by a margin of over 80,000 votes. Naik, who has won every election from the seat since 1999, is eyeing his sixth consecutive win. The Congress has fielded former deputy CM of Goa Ramakant Khalap from North Goa.
The South Goa Lok Sabha constituency is currently represented by former chief minister of Goa Francisco Sardinha of the Indian National Congress (INC). He had defeated BJP leader Narendra Keshav Sawaikar by a margin of over 90,000 votes in 2019 Lok Sabha elections. A four-time MP, Sardinha had emerged victorius from the seat in 1998, 2007, 2009 and 2019. Despite his past performances and record wins, the sitting Congress MP from South Goa has been dropped for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The party has fielded Captain Viriato Fernandes from the seat against Pallavi Shrinivas Dempo of the BJP. Dempo is the wealthiest candidate among those in the fray in the third phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha polls. In her 119-page affidavit, she declared assets worth Rs 1,361 crore. The Congress has had an upper hand in this constituency, winning 10 elections since 1977.
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