Goa witnessed a historic turnout on Saturday as enthusiastic voters created a new record by posting a total vote percentage of 76.82 per cent.
The unprecedented turnout is nearly 21 per cent higher than the voting percentage posted at the last lok Sabha elections when nearly 55 per cent of the eligible voters cast ballot.The 76.82 per cent voting record breaks the more modest 1998 general election tally of 61 per cent.
According to chief electoral officer Keshav Chandra the big spike in the vote percentage could be credited to the increased levels of awareness amongst the youth. Earlier in the day, polling began briskly in the morning at 7am with queues lining up around the polling booths located across the State’s towns and countryside alike at booths located mainly in schools and in Government buildings. In a State that is known for its laidback attitude, no untoward incidents were reported.
“It was encouraging to see young voters sensitising the older voters asking them to come to the polling booth and cast ballot,” Chandra told The Pioneer, adding that 28,646 new young voters were eligible to vote during the general elections here.The respective parties have claimed that the high turnout will be in their favour, with the BJP and the AAP claiming that it is a cote for change, while the Congress claimed it was a vote for secularism.
Goa CM Manohar Parrikar has predicted that the State would see around 65 per cent to 70 per cent voting. He insisted that polling in the State was not about Modi either for or against, but an “acknowledge of his Government’s performance over the last two years.”
“The Congress is desperate. We are going to win both the seats with a big margin. We are confident and the turnout confirms it,” Parrikar said.The AAP, meanwhile has claimed that the high turnout would be in their favour as it meant that people who otherwise don’t vote because of disillusionment with the electoral process now have found their answer in the AAP.“This is clearly a good sign for us,” claimed AAP member Valmiki Naik.All the four key contestants cast their ballot within half an hour of the booths’ opening. Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar cast ballot at the Massano de Amorim polling booth in the capital.
The main contenders for the North Goa seat are sitting MP and BJP candidate Shripad Yesso Naik, Congress candidate Ravi Naik and Dattaram Desai from the Aam Aadmi Party.Aleixo Reginaldo from the Congress and BJP’s Narendra Savoikar will fight it out for the South Goa seat. The Congress party has won this seat in 10 out of 14 lok Sabha elections.The day saw several complaints being made to the poll officials by the members and volunteers of the Aam Aadmi Party, who were initially stopped from wearing blank white Gandhi topis on grounds that they were a party symbol.
However the volunteers protested, on grounds that the topis were not printed with any of the party’s symbols or slogans and hence could not be construed to be a party symbol.Towards the late morning, the Chief Electoral Officer ruled in their favour.However, what has especially peeved the AAP is that the poll authorities didn’t update their symbol of another candidate – Raju D’Souza of the Samajwadi Janta Party.
His, symbol – a battery torch with rays of light emanating, could be construed to be a “small broom” and hence confuse the voters, the AAP has said.Their complaint, was however over ruled by the Election Commission, which verbally told them “is not reason enough to conduct a re-poll”, a demand they had made.“It is indicative of extreme indifference on the part of the state election officials, who refused to update their ballot symbols despite directions from the central Election Commission directing them to do so,” Adv Satish Sonak a member of the party told media persons.
“Irreparable loss and prejudice to democracy, to voters in general, and to voters of Aam Aadmi Party in particular, is being caused by the inclusion of misleading symbol,” another party member Valmiki Naik said in his complaint to the Chief Electoral Officer.