FAULTY EVMs, LOWER TURNOUT MARK POLLS

Team Herald

PANJIM: Faulty electronic voting machines marked an otherwise dull day of voting, where the voter turnout stood at a low 74.72 per cent, as Goa voted for two MPs and three MLAs on Tuesday. Not even the by-polls in three Assembly constituencies enthused voters to go to the polling booths, as 82.65 per cent voted in the three by-elections.

Giving the interim figures post voting, Chief Electoral Officer Kunal, said voting was peaceful throughout the day and thanked the officials and security officials for the same. “The total turnout was 74.64 per cent as compared to 76.86 in 2014,” Kunal said. He stated that while North Goa registered 76.40 p.c voting, South recorded 72.89 p.c.

Mandrem constituency recorded the highest voting percentage of 86.52 while Benaulim recorded the lowest of 64.73 per cent. For the by-polls, besides Mandrem, Shiroda was at 83.90 per cent and Mapusa recorded 77.55 per cent.

On lower turnout compared to 2014, Kunal said, “We have seen the enthusiasm amongst the people, especially senior citizens but the long weekend and holiday season might be a reason.”

While polling was peaceful throughout, the main shocker came from a Canacona village, where only 15 votes were registered at Marle-Tirval that too of election duty staff and no villager (221 eligible voters) cast their vote making their threat to boycott the polls successful. (See full report on pg 3)

Kunal downplayed the boycott, saying the final figures are yet to be received as there was no mobile connectivity in the locality.

Faulty EVMs

Following complaints of malfunctioning of EVMs at some polling booths, faulty machines were replaced, an election official said. As per the reports available from election office, 11 Control Units (CU), 11 ballot units (BU) and 35 VVPATs were replaced during the polling process. Kunal said the replacements were well within the permissible limits.

Voters also complained about the slow voting process due to non-trained polling staffers. It was also reported that some of the staff was not able to handle the technicalities of the machines, when brought to their notice. 

“Though there were reports from some booths about glitches in EVMs or VVPATs, they have been rectified or replaced immediately. The polling process in those booths was extended,” Additional Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Narayan Sawant said. 

Complaints by candidates/ parties

Early morning, AAP South Goa candidate Elvis Gomes complained via social media that at Cuncolim the EVMs seemed faulty during the mock drill.

Kunal said, “Though the EVMs worked fine during second mock drill, we decided to change the entire set immediately.”

In Siolim, he said, the Congress candidate complained that any vote cast was going to the BJP and here too the EVM and other equipment was replaced.

When pointed out that when the EVMs were replaced some 69 votes had already been cast, he said, “The scrutiny committee will take a final call on the issue.”

The CEO said that EVMs will be kept in the strong room which will have two layered security with inner security under the para military services and the outer security under the state military services.

For North, the EVMs will be kept at Government Polytechnic, Altinho and for South at the Multipurpose Hall, Borda.

Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and his wife were among the early voters. Governor Mridula Sinha and her husband also cast their votes in the morning at a polling booth in Dona Paula.

Congress candidate from North Goa Girish Chodankar and BJP nominee Shripad Naik also exercised their franchise early in the day.

In South Goa, Congress candidate Francisco Sardinha, BJP nominee Narendra Sawaikar and Shiv Sena candidate Rakhi Prabhudesai Naik were among the early voters.

Aam Aadmi Party candidates, Pradeep Padgaonkar and Elvis Gomes, who are fighting the elections from North Goa and South Goa seats respectively, also exercised their democratic right.

There are 12 candidates in the fray for the two Lok Sabha constituencies and 18 for the three Assembly seats. The by-elections in Shiroda and Mandrem were necessitated after Congress MLAs resigned and joined the BJP. The Mapusa seat fell vacant following the death of its sitting lawmaker.