AAP wins maiden seats in Goa as Venzy Viegas beats Churchill Alemao

Adding to the historic win for the Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab, there was more good news for the party as it secured its first-ever seats in Goa.

AAP's Venzy Viegas pulled off a surprise win over TMC's veteran Churchill Alemao in Benaulim, while Cruz Silva won in Velim.

Former chief minister Alemao was the firm favourite in Benaulim. The four-time joined the TMC in December 2021. Viegas leads Alemao by over 1,300 votes and is clear to win the crucial seat.

Benaulim and Navelim were the only two seats that the TMC had a chance.

Cruz Silva grabbed a narrow 200-vote win over Congress's D'Silva Savio. Incumbent MLA Filipe Nery Rodrigues of the NCP was behind by over 2,000 votes.

The BJP is currently leading in 19 of the 40 seats, while the Congress is on top in 11 constituencies. The state looks to be heading towards a hung assembly as predicted, and post-poll alliances will come into play.

The BJP will look to move quickly to seal alliances to form the government for a third straight election.