By Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji

Panaji, May 16: The results for the North Goa (Panaji) Lok Sabha seat were kept on hold after one of the electronic voting machine (EVM) developed a technical snag.
 
Election officials stated that EVM from Cumbharjua constituency with 462 votes developed technical problem during the counting.
 
But the results available so far as given clear victory to BJP candidate Sripad Naik against his nearest rival Jitendra Deshprabhu of NCP.
 
Naik is leading with a margin of 5893 votes in the constituency.
 
The sitting MP and former union civil aviation minister for state Sripad Naik would get the hatrick from the constituency, once he is declared elected, officially.
 
NCP, which fought the election in alliance with Congress, could not make much dent despite the firm support of leaders like Vishwajeet Rane, who had assured whopping margin in the five assembly constituencies.
 
BJP managed to get retain its traditional bastions of Mandrem, Bicholim, Mapusa, Siolim, Saligao, Porvorim and Panaji.
 
Deshprabhu, congressman-turned-NCP candidate, polled fair in the assembly constituencies of Pernem, Poriem, Thivim, Aldona and Calangute, which are traditionally Congress-NCP bastions.
 
Accepting the defeat even before official announcement, Deshprabhu said that it was a close fight. “I am thankful to all the voters who supported me. All the congress-NCP leaders worked for me but somehow I could not sail through,” he added.
 
BJP’s Sripad Naik said that he managed to get the victory beating the anti incumbency factor, which always rules in the elections.
 
“This is historic victory especially because it’s a hatrick for me,” he said thanking his voters.