Michael Fitzmaurice has topped the poll for the second time in a row in the Roscommon-Galway constituency and has been deemed elected on the first count.

The high-profile Independent Ireland candidate secured 12,002 first preferences despite the fact that he lost most of the Galway voters who helped him take the second seat in his first general election in 2016.

He secured 1,719 votes over the quota of 10,283.

Deputy Fitzmaurice attributes his huge appeal to the Roscommon side of the electorate to the 200-strong team of “soldiers” who worked solidly for the last few weeks.

“I lost 4,500 voters from the Galway side, it was a risk to take to stay in the constituency rather than go into Galway East,” he told the Connacht Tribune.

“The reason I took so long to make a decision on it was my niece died of cancer, she was a 41-year-old mother of three young kids, so it wasn’t the time to be calling it when the family was going through that.”

His niece Joelyn Godfrey, née Keane, from Cloonfad, Co Roscommon died on October 22.

When the time came to making the call, he gathered together the campaign team who have been with him since he first entered politics as a local election candidate in the Tuam area in 2014.

“My team voted 9-1 to stay in Roscommon-Galway. The people of Roscommon-Leitrim were good to me from the first day and the people of Roscommon-Galway got behind me but I had 7,000 votes I had to pick up elsewhere. I got 12,000 first preferences this time and 13,000 last time but 8,000 less people voted this time round so it was a big ask.”

The Glinsk agricultural contractor and turf cutter believes the party is looking good for securing seven seats – two of them are Galway candidates, Cllr Noel Thomas in Galway West, Cllr Declan Geraghty in Galway East.

Deputy Fitzmaurice’s surplus of 1,719 votes are now being distributed at the Dr Hyde Centre in Roscommon.

Galway-Roscommon

Electorate: 62,727

Total poll 41,332

Valid poll: 41,128

Spoiled voted 204

No. of seats: 3

Quota: 10,283

First count

Michael Fitzmaurice (II):12,002

Claire Kerrane (SF):8,039

Dr Martin Daly (FF):7,283

Aisling Dolan (FG):4,843

Eugene Murphy (NP):4,327

Dympna Daly-Finn (FG):2,167

Andrew Mannion (PBP):814

Cormac Corcoráin (AON):781

Martina O Connor (GP):441

Alan Sweeney (TIP): 224

Vincent Beirne (NP):202

Michael Fitzmaurice elected

His surplus of 1,719 to be distributed.

Pictured: Poll topper Michael Fitzmaurice celebrates his election.