Electioneering for 39 seats in the Goa Assembly began on Friday (one candidate of the Congress, Alexio Sequeira was elected unopposed). The Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the regional Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) will be the main contestants in 32 seats. Seven seats will have five main contestants with the other regional party, United Goans Democratic Party, and the breakaway Goa Rajiv Congress too in the fray.

Like the proposed tie-up between the MGP and the BJP, the alliance between the MGP, UGDP and the Goa Rajiv Congress also came a cropper by Thursday afternoon. However, the MGP pulled out its candidates from the Calangute and San Andre seats at the last minute. This is likely to favour two rebel Congressmen, Suresh Parulekar and Carmo Pegado, who are contesting under differentbanners.

But for the last minute negotiations by all political parties, the picture could have been murkier, with 357 candidates in the fray. Most of the 94 withdrawals were reported only on Wednesday and Thursday after intense negotiations. However, rebel Congressmen contesting on the tickets of rival parties have refused to withdraw from the race. More than one rebel Congressman is challenging the official candidate in almost all the constiutencies.

Among the prominent candidates in the fray are outgoing members of the 12th Lok Sabha, Ravi Naik and Fransisco Sardinha of the Congress. In all, five former members of Parliament, including former Union Minister for Law Ramakant Khalap, have shifted their focus to the State Assembly.

Meanwhile, the Congress party, which is facing large-scale rebellion among office-bearers at the grass-roots level, has retorted by sacking its rebels. In all, 25 Congressman who are contesting against the party's official candidates were expelled from the party on Friday.Further action against their supporters is expected in the next few days.

Meanwhile, Congressmen in the State who were crestfallen following the revolt of Sharad Pawar and his colleagues recently, are hoping that party president Sonia Gandhi will campaign in the State. Party office-bearers say Sonia Gandhi may campaign for five days from Tuesday to Saturday next.

Congress leaders from the State were in New Delhi to persuade Sonia Gandhi to campaign in Goa despite her resignation as the party president.

Already AICC leader Ramesh Chennithala and a host of party observers are camping in Goa to oversee the election process in the State.