PANAJI
The Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Wednesday provided fresh perspective to the high percentage of voting in his assembly constituency of Sanquelim, claiming that the 89.64 percent voting was not the highest witnessed in the constituency yet.
Sawant also told reporters in Panaji, that in the 2012 state assembly polls, Sanquelim had witnessed 92 per cent voting, while chiding the opposition claiming that they may not have been able to bring out three per cent of the opposition votes to the polling centres on February 14.
"Many people do not know that in 2012, 92 per cent people had voted in Sanquelim. In 2017 it was 90 per cent and now it is 89 per cent. This could mean that voting is three per cent less (this time) and that opponents were unable to draw three per cent (voters to cast ballot). In many booths, the opposition personnel were not even present, for example MGP representatives were missing," Sawant said.
"If opponents had managed to draw out their people, voting would have been 92 per cent. Opponents should be happy till March 10," Sawant also said.
Sanquelim had witnessed the highest percentage of polling in the recently concluded polls.
The Chief Minister also maintained that the BJP would win 22 plus seats this time round, dismissing the Congress party's repeated claims that the opposition party would win 26 seats this time round. The Congress had also maintained that the high percentage of voting in Goa was a vote against the government.
Sawant also said that the nearly 80 per cent voting in Goa should not be construed as a vote against the incumbent government.
"There is no question of anti-voting (against the government) because of the increased percentage. We have faith in the people of Goa," Sawant said.
Counting of votes polled on February 14 will be carried out on March 10, following the completion of pan-India assembly polls in other states namely Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Manipur.
