Slightly higher percentage would have kept Viriato in good stead: INDIA leaders
MARGAO
It’s official. Even as the low voter turnout in Salcete compared to the hinterland talukas have triggered a debate of sorts in political circles, the minority dominated Assembly segments of Benaulim and Velim are the only segments in Salcete taluka where polling in the May 7 Lok Sabha did not cross the 70 per cent mark.
In a strange coincidence, the two seats of Benaulim and Velim are being represented is the Goa Legislative Assembly by Captain Venzy Viegas and Engineer Cruz Silva respectively.
A glance at the voter turnout in the two Assembly segments of Velim and Benaulim as per the end of poll data released by the election officials shows that Benaulim segment has recorded 68.49 poll percentage. In terms of voters, the total number of voters who came out to cast their vote is pegged around 19,954.
Similarly, the Velim segment has recorded poll around 69.46 poll percentage as per the election data. In terms of voters around 22,019 voters have cast their votes in the election.
Leaders of the INDIA Alliance pointed out that a slight increase in the poll percentage in both Velim and Benaulim would have certainly kept the Congress candidate Captain Viriato Fernandes in good stead in the final tally of votes.
“When the INDIA Alliance block was looking forward for huge and unassailable lead in Salcete to offset BJP’s apple cart in the hinterland talukas, we had expected good polling and a sizeable lead from both Velim and Benaulim segments”, an INDIA alliance leader pointed out.
He added: “Polling around 19,954 votes in Benaulim and 22,019 in Velim is by no means small, but just a couple of per cent more voting would have helped to garner around 18,000 vote lead in each of the two segments for the simple reason that polling would be one sided given that people in these segments had never voted in large numbers for the BJP.”
Benaulim AAP MLA Venzy Viegas, however, has already attributed the less than 70 per cent voting in Benaulim to a large percentage of voters presently staying abroad for the purpose of employment.
“We had put in our strong efforts to get the voters out. But, sadly, we have found to our shock and surprise that a significant percentage of voters, around 15-18 per cent were not at their place of residence and were out of station”.
AAP Velim MLA Cruz Silva also echoed similar sentiments, saying the comparatively less percentage of voting in the minority stronghold, apart from lack of coordination on polling day could have led to the absence of voters.
“While the Aam Admi Party volunteers had carried out intensive awareness in the run up to the polls, we were not taken into confidence on polling day and on the question of bringing out voters from their houses to the polling stations”, Cruz added.
