MARGAO: There was high drama at the counting of the votes polled in Cuncolim Assembly Constituency that included recounting and even counting of the VVPAT slips which however did not change the results and Congress candidate Clafacio Dias was declared elected.
At the end of four rounds Clafacio was leading by over 200 votes and votes cast in two booths in Ambaulim village were yet to be taken up for counting. When the votes in those two booths were counted, Joaquim Alemao polled 384 votes as against the 164 polled by Clafacio.
As they had got a lead in the last two booths, Joaquim’s supporters jumped the gun and began cheering that they had won the elections, without taking into consideration that Clafacio had a lead of over 200 votes with him already.
Rattled by the celebrations in the Alemao camp, Clafacio first asked for a recount which however was not taken up as the officials clarified that he had won and thus Joaquim Alemao asked for not one but two recounts and both the times Clafacio was declared as the winner.
However, not satisfied by this, Joaquim Alemao asked for counting of the VVPAT slips through two separate applications.
