Sawant, who took over as chief minister for the first time in March 2019, brought the BJP tantalizingly close to the simple majority mark of 21, defying pre-poll predictions of a hung assembly.
They said this was preliminary voter turnout and the final figure may cross 80 per cent as electoral fate of 301 candidates were locked in EVMs which will be opened on March 10 for counting.
The two-time MLA from Sankhalim in North Goa, Sawant, who was speaker of the state assembly, is a dedicated Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh worker.
A few local public transport unions have also suspended their services fearing the spread in the interiors of the state.
The swearing-in ceremony of Pramod Sawant as Goa's chief minister will be held on March 28 and prominent Bharatiya Janata Party leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will attend the event.
Prime Minister Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh would be present at the function, a government spokesperson said.
The Election Commission has declined permission for use of a government college ground near Panaji as the venue for a Congress rally to be addressed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Police also tracked down a person in nearby Lamga village who manufactures such explosives. "It is a matter of concern that such fuses are available and can be misused by anti-social elements.
Sawant on Tuesday said his government had sought a floor test on Wednesday to prove its strength in the assembly.
Jawaharlal Nehru had a "self-centred attitude" to become India's first PM, claims Dalai Lama.
In keeping with the trend seen elsewhere in the country so far, an all-time-high 76.82 percent of the voters exercised the franchise in the two Lok Sabha constituencies of Goa on Saturday.
As per the power-sharing arrangement, Goa Forward Party chief Vijai Sardesai and Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party MLA Sudin Dhavalikar will be the deputy chief ministers.
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