Surprisingly the voting in Goa ends with 83% mark on second time while the in Punjab it hardly went to 70%. The voting ended with peaceful voting all over the state except for the few glitches. Although the day started with the very low turnout which gradually gained a momentum. There were around 251 contenders in the fray this time with ruling party BJP getting engaged in a wild fight with the Congress, AAP and MGP+GSM+Shiv Sena alliance in the 40 member assembly house
According to the sources in EC (Election Commission), the polling started in the early morning on Saturday with very low turnouts. People were speculating around 50% voting this time but suddenly the crowd started growing towards the evening. Most of the polling booths across the state have witnessed big queue towards the evening by 5 pm. The major voting took place in the mining belt where maximum people came out to cast their votes. According to the sources, Sakhalim, Bicholim, and Curchorem remained on the lead this time.
The polling was peaceful throughout the state and no untoward incident reported from anywhere in the coastal state except the few cases of EVM (Electronic Voting Machines) having some glitches which caused cancellation of voting at one booth. In another incident, a 78-year-old man died outside a polling booth in Panaji city. Leslie Saldanha, who was waiting to cast his vote, collapsed and died, officials said.
According to the source in ECI, based on the data collected from the various polling booths in the state have shown over 83% of voters from 11 lakh turned up to exercise their voting rights. This is the second time after the 2012 polls which had recorded an impressive 83 per cent voting and the same results into the BJP wresting power from the Congress. This time what will happen that only time will tell.
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, widely seen as the chief ministerial face of the BJP, Union Minister Shripad Naik and Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar were among the early voters who cast their ballots. People in large numbers turned up at the polling stations right from the morning amid pleasant weather.
The polls will decide future of Goa’s five former Chief Ministers — Churchill Alemao, Pratapsinh Rane, Ravi Naik, Digambar Kamat and Luizinho Faleiro and the incumbent Parsekar. The BJP has put up 36 aspirants, Congress 37 and AAP is contesting on 39 seats and each of them backing independents in a few seats. The BJP, which had a pre-poll alliance in 2012, is going it alone this time after the MGP snapped the partnership and forged a front with Goa Suraksha Manch floated by RSS rebel Subhas Velingkar and Shiv Sena. Counting of votes will be taken up on March 11 once all the election in all the states completes, said the sources.
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