Voters queue up at a polling booth at Peddem, Mapusa throwing all social distancing norms to the winds on Friday. Narayan Pissurlenkar
PANAJI
Amid the growing Covid-19 scare and the scorching summer heat, voters all masked up thronged polling booths to exercise their franchise registering a percentage of 66.70 in the five municipal councils of Margao, Mapusa Mormugao, Sanguem and Quepem on Friday.
Announcing the final figures after receiving final polling reports from 231 polling booths in 93 wards of all five municipal corporations, the State Election Commission said as many as 1,23,546 voters exercised their franchise out of total of 1,85,225 eligible voters.
Sanguem Municipal Council recorded the highest percentage of 81.49 followed by Quepem Municipal Council 78.01%, Mapusa Municipal Council 68.57%, Margao Municipal Council 64.25 % and Mormugao recorded a voting percentage of 65.04%.
The fate of 402 candidates will be known on April 26 when counting of votes will be taken up.
177 Covid-19 positive patients also cast their votes in the last hour of voting after wearing full PPE gear.
In Margao, amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, 64.25 per cent of voters, around 42,670 voters, preferred to come out from their homes to cast their votes.
While ward no 7, Agalli ward saw the highest turn out of voters, around 74.09 per cent, ward no 23 registered the lowest voter turnout with 56.09 per cent.
The major poll panels, however, were quick to interpret the turn out in their respective favour, claiming victories in the Civic polls.
Vibrant Margao Chairman Damu Naik said the fact that people have turned out in large numbers goes to show that the people have come out to vote for a change. “The remaining voters must have either not come out because of Covid or they must have stayed away as they are not happy with the Margao Civic Alliance forged by MLAs Digambar Kamat and Vijai Sardesai” , Damu said, exuding confidence that that the Vibrant Margao panel is set to rule the Civic body for the next five years.
Meanwhile in panchayat by-polls which were as also held on Friday, ward IV in Velim saw a turnout of 65.59 % and ward 11 Karapur-Sarvan registered a voting percentage of 85.96 percent.
