The State Election Commission has released tentative data on Lok Sabha polling pegging the turnout at around 75.22 per cent. Interestingly, Poriem recorded the maximum voting of 87.11 per cent while the port city of Vasco, was the lowest at 67.1 per cent. Surprisingly, South Goa which was seen as a ‘hot seat’ with both rival parties BJP and Congress going hammer and tongs at each other, saw a dismal 73.90 per cent voting.
The average to low polling percentage may not be good news for the Congress in Salcete, an area which forms the nerve centre of the party’s political fortune and does not bode well for their math of 70,000-odd lead in the taluka. Let’s not forget that the Congress candidate was expecting a tsunami of votes in Salcete to offset the shortfall in the hinterland areas, especially Madkai.
Have the political players failed to read the electoral pulse in the State? Or, was the projected anger of the people against the establishment, a myth? If people wanted a change, why was it not visible in the voting numbers? And what happened to all the hype that was created, and the appeals by various religious leaders in the form of advisories? Has the electorate given up on leaders, or is there a sense of disillusionment? Or, have people lost interest in Lok Sabha elections?
Questions surface because the end appeared to be some sort of an anti-climax against the fierce build-up that brought the contest to life through some critical and emotive issues raised by all parties, pick of them being the Constitution. It now appears, that the issues that dominated the turf through the past 45 days, did not resonate on the ground or the common citizen remained numb. The emotion of anger that was anticipated by the Congress was not visible through these numbers.
In fact, pilgrims taking the train to Vailankanni in Chennai on the eve of elections, despite an appeal from the Cardinal, explains a certain level of disenchantment in the electoral exercise. Cancelling the tickets was an easily available option since there were over 45 days between the announcement of the poll and the date of voting.
On the flip side, possibly, the Congress flattered to deceive on voting day and failed to capitalise on their strengths. Contrary to the unity and aggressiveness shown right through the campaign, the party fell short in strategising logistics on the final day with several booths not being manned to facilitate voting, more importantly in constituencies which are party's strongholds.
An average or below-par percentage in Salcete is certainly not in Cong’s interest, given the situation that it is no longer the force it was in 2019. Margao MLA Digambar Kamat, Navelim MLA Ulhas Tuenkar along with others like Nuvem MLA Aleixo Sequeira and Curtorim MLA Aleixo Reginaldo will eat into the Congress kitty in varying degrees making its numerical balancing very difficult in South.
The Congress now will have to calculate how much of a gain it could make in the hinterland and Mormugao, areas where the BJP has a strong presence. Also to be seen is how much damage is inflicted by the STs who have vouched to support the Congress clearly expressing their displeasure over reservations.
While the numbers present an opaque picture, the reality could still be different because numbers don’t reflect electoral emotion. A lot can happen in this queer dance of democracy.
