BJP's Manohar Parrikar to be sworn in as Goa Chief Minister today,

The BJP's Manohar Parikar will be sworn in as the Chief Minister of Goa today. The party has planned a huge public affair for the swearing-in ceremony.

BJP leaders L K Advani, Sushma Swaraj and Nitin Gadkari among others will attend the function.

A full 12-member Cabinet will also be sworn in the same day by the Governor. Mr Parrikar has been the chief minister twice from October 2000 to February 2005.

Mr Parrikar said yesterday that all the BJP ministers from his 2005 Cabinet would find place in the new dispensation, and that the Budget would be presented around March 24.

"There are five ministers who were in my old Cabinet. They will be sworn-in again," Mr Parrikar said.

Party sources said that along with Mr Parrikar, five ministers from BJP and two from ally Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) would also take oath today.

Mr Parrikar later told that soon after the swearing-in, there will be a Cabinet meeting which will list out the priorities.

"I will hand over the list of priorities to the Chief Secretary after the Cabinet meeting," he said.

BJP-MGP alliance will start implementing the manifesto immediately but it would take little time to deliver, he said.

Polling begins in Goa today

Voting began this morning in Goa to elect a new 40-member Assembly amidst tight security.

The polling started at 7 AM.

A total of 10.25 lakh voters, spread over two districts - North Goa and South Goa - are will exercise their franchise at 1,612 polling booths, which will be manned by 10,644 security personnel, officials said.

The fate of 215 candidates, including nine women and 74 independents would be decided. Two major alliances - ruling Congress-NCP alliance and Opposition BJP-MGP combination - are the main contenders for power in the tiny coastal state.

For the first time in Goa, the Election Commission (EC) has introduced a monitoring system wherein photographs and fingerprints of all voters will be captured on computers.

The EC has identified 180 polling booths as sensitive where additional forces will be deployed.

In the 2007 Assembly polls, Congress had won 16 seats and formed the Government with the help of NCP (3), Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (2) and some Independents.

BJP had won 14 seats.

This time, Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), Goa's oldest regional outfit, has withdrawn from the Congress-led alliance and joined hands with Opposition BJP.