Immediately after the 2017 elections, Mahohar Parrikar had won the vote of confidence with the help of Congress leader Vishwajit Rane who had left the house mid-way. He afterwards joined BJP, got re-elected, and was made a minister. Two other leaders deserted the Congress within a year to join BJP.
Mahohar Parrikar died in 2019, and thereafter Pramod Sawant became chief minister. Only a few months after, the BJP did not spare even its ally Maharashtra Gomantak Party, which was split into two, and two out of its three MLAs eventually joined the BJP.
Just on the eve of the present elections, one of GFP’s MLA along with an independent MLA joined the BJP which seemed to present it with an advantage. However, the situation changed when BJP MLAs including Alina Saldanha and Michael Lobo quit the party to join AAP and Congress. One BJP MLA, Pravin Zantye, left the BJP to join MGP. This indicates that the ground situation continued to be fluid.