Rally in Baina end up in tussle
VASCO: Polling in three constituencies of Dabolim, Vasco and Mormugao took place peacefully on Saturday, with law enforcement agencies keeping a strict watch to avoid any law and order situation as people cast their ballots. Clashes, however, broke out between rival groups in Sada, leaving one person injured.
There was a minor incident when some supporters were accused of influencing the voters near the railway over bridge along the way to Mangor. Police immediately rushed to the site and defused the tension.
Voting at some polling stations started at around 7.30 am and there was a heavy rush of voters in the morning hours which lasted till noon, before voting became slack in the afternoon.
A heavy rush was witnessed at most of the polling stations from 4 pm onwards, due to which the voting got completed at around 7.15 pm.
The disabled, sick and elderly also came out in significant numbers and exercised their franchise, but officials initially failed to make provision for wheelchairs and some of the ailing voters had to get their own wheelchairs.
There were also complaints from voters who were standing for a long time in queues in the hot sun that the election officials had failed to make provision of drinking water.
Sources in the office of the returning officers informed that the election commission has to direct them to provide the drinking water to the voters.
“If we offer to making drinking water available at our own expense, then the bills are not settled,” admitted an official.
Soon after the voting ended, a group supporting a candidate staged a rally from Baina to Sada and on reaching Sada, an altercation broke out between supporters of a rival political party.
The heated arguments went out of control and supporters began assaulting each other.
Police patrolling the area rushed to the site to defuse the tension and after much efforts, managed to separate both groups.
While one member of a group was taken to a local hospital for treatment, it was not known if there were any injuries to the other group.
When contacted, Mormugao police stated that they were aware of the incident, but added that there had been no complaint till late Saturday evening.
