Panaji, Feb 14 (IANS): Polling for Goa's 40 Assembly seats has started at 7 a.m. on Monday.

As many as 301 candidates are in the fray in the single-phase assembly elections, where the ruling BJP is looking to score a hat-trick of victory. The party has been in power in the coastal state since 2012.

The main parties in the fray includes the ruling BJP, Congress, AAP, Trinamool Congress, Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), NCP, and the Revolutionary Goans (RGP), among others.

The BJP is contesting in all 40 state seats for the first time, while the Congress has fielded 37 candidates. The AAP, Trinamool, MGP have fielded 39, 26, 13 candidates respectively.

The BJP and the AAP are going into the polls on their own, while the Congress has tied up with the Goa Forward party. Similarly, the MGP is contesting the elections in alliance with the TMC.

As many as 11,56,464 voters are eligible to cast ballot in the February 14 polls spread over 1,600 polling stations.

According to Chief Electoral Officer Kunal, 20,000 security personnel have been posted in Goa to maintain law and order during the day-long polling exercise.