Goa goes to polls today, CM Pramod Sawant confident of BJP's landslide victory

Polling began on Monday morning in Goa, where 301 candidates are in the fray for the 40 Assembly seats, election officials said. Voting began at 7 am and will conclude at 6 pm in the single-phase elections in the coastal state, the officials said.

In an exclusive conversation with India Today, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant exuded confidence that the BJP will secure a landslide victory in the state.

Over 11 lakh people are eligible to cast their votes. They include 9,590 persons with disabilities, 2,997 aged over 80 years, 41 sex workers and nine transgenders.

The counting of votes will take place on March 10.

Goa is witnessing a multi-cornered contest, with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and other smaller parties vying to make a mark on the state's electoral scene.