PANAJI
On a day celebrated for love, hundreds of thousands of Goa stood in long queues, with sweat-lined clothes on a warm, sunny Monday to cast their votes on the occasion of the Valentine’s Day polls.
Top leaders of political parties and anxious candidates have however interpreted the high voter turnout in the early hours of the elections, in a manner which suits their respective parties.
While the ruling leadership claims that the early turnout, which saw more than a quarter (26.63 per cent) of the State’s eligible voters turning out to vote in the first four hours meant a good omen for them, the Opposition claimed that the high turnout was a manifestation of voter frustration against the ruling party.
“People of have made a decisive decision that BJP should be defeated. 80 per cent of the people have taken a decision. The manner in which voting has increased, shows people are angry. People have stood in queues for nearly two hours to cast ballots,” state Congress president Girish Chodankar told reporters.
“I was in the Chief Minister’s constituency today. People have stepped out in anger in the CM’s constituency. See the kind of turnout that has been reported there. The CM is losing, DyCM is losing. More than half of the ministers are losing. That itself shows what people of Goa have decided. It is going to be a clean sweep for Congress and BJP will be reduced to single digits. That is the indication that I am getting today,” he also said.
Incidentally, the voting percentage in Sanquelim between 7 am to 9 am was 14.32 percent as compared to a pan-state average of 11.04 percent. After the first four hours of voting, the state-wide average was 26.63 percent, even as in Sanquelim 33 percent voters cast ballot.
The Chief Minister however claimed victory, adding that his winning margin alone would be around 4,000 votes. Sawant had won the 2017 assembly polls by 2131 votes defeating Congress’ Dharmesh Saglani, an opponent who he faces in these elections too.
“We are contesting 40 seats and we are confident that with the kind of work we have done, we will form a government with a full majority. I will win Sanquelim with a lead of 4000,” Sawant said.
Former South Goa Lok Sabha MP Narendra Sawaikar of the BJP also threw his weight behind the Chief Minister on Twitter.
“Heartiest congratulations to @DrPramodPSawant for the highest percentage of polling in your constituency. @BJP4Goa @BJP4India,” Sawaikar said.
Leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat also said the brisk early voting indicated a decisive mandate for Congress.
“The CM says 22 in 2022. If they get eight it will be more than enough. Their reverse countdown has begun. The response is very good and the response is decisively for Congress,” Kamat said.
Former Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar also said that the rush for voting in the early hours indicated a churning across Goa and his own constituency of Mandrem, from where the former state BJP president is contesting as an independent candidate.
“There is a churning all across Goa. Games have been played, people have been threatened… Money was raining, there was both, a trove of assurance and threats galore. But facing all this, the manner in which voters have come out, it shows that there will be history created in Mandrem,” Parsekar said.
One of the key contestants in the battle for Panaji, independent candidate Utpal Parrikar said that people had spoken through the electronic voting machines, while expressing confidence of a victory.
His rival sitting BJP MLA Atanasio Monserrate however insists that the higher the percentage of voting the better it was for him.
“I am satisfied with the percentage the higher the better... What is this anti-incumbency. I really do not understand. If you work for the people there is nothing called anti-incumbency,” Monserrate said.
