"Confident" Goa Congress Seeks Meet With Governor Before Counting: Sources

Long before the counting of votes started in Goa, the Congress, in a show of confidence, asked for a meeting with the governor in the afternoon.

Congress sources said party leaders this morning asked for an appointment with Governor PS Sreedharan Pillai at 3 pm.

No appointment has been given so far.

Congress sources say they are confident of a majority and "learning from mistakes made in the 2017 election", the party has asked for an appointment in advance.

In 2017, the Congress emerged single-largest but failed to form the government as it delayed stitching up alliances. The BJP, despite winning fewer seats than the Congress, scored the support of smaller parties, including the Maharashtra Gomantak Party (MGP), and independent MLAs.

This time, a vastly more proactive Congress despatched its firefighters P Chidambaram and DK Shivakumar early to the state to work on possible alliances, if the party falls short, and take big decisions.

The party has reached out to the MGP as well as the Trinamool Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), all expected to win enough seats to play kingmakers.

Exit polls have predicted a hung verdict in Goa, with 16 seats each for the BJP and the Congress, short of the magic mark of 21 in the 40-member assembly.

Congress candidates moved into a resort in north Goa earlier this week, though the party insisted it was just a get-together for birthday celebrations.