25 Apr 2019 | 06:04am IST
Pollsters stumped with high turnout in mining belt
No clear indication which way the mining dependents voted; BJP, Congress claim votes are in their favour
PAnJIM: Polling crossing 84 per cent in a constituency in the mining belt for the April 23 Lok Sabha election has perplexed all political parties in the fray as no one is sure which way the mining dependents have voted.
However, compared to the 2017 State Assembly elections, the polling percentage is lower, which could be worrisome for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), considering that five out of seven Assembly segments are represented by them.
Even though, BJP and Congress claim these votes will be in their favour, the anger against the government in these iron ore rich constituencies cannot be ignored. While the constituencies in North Goa have shown a good turnout, it was lower in the South.
“There was heavy voting only in Sanquelim constituency while the rest of the mining belt witnessed moderate voting. Being represented by the chief minister, voting was expected to be high here,” Goa Mining People’s Front (GMPF) leader Puti Gaonkar told Herald.
He said that votes in areas like Mayem, Bicholim, Dharbandora, Curchorem and even in Sanquelim are likely to go against the BJP. “They are expected to vote for Congress though officially we had not told them anything,” Gaonkar said.
Mining has been one of the most debated of issues during last few elections in the State. The 2014 Lok Sabha elections, followed by the 2017 State Assembly elections and now in the current parliamentary polls, mining continues to be the topic of discussion. Though, mining dependents voted in favour of BJP in 2014 and 2017, this time the votes won’t have come easily.
“People from the mining belt voted for BJP in 2014, as there was a BJP wave under Narendra Modi across India and it was our only hope to resume iron ore activities, which were shut in 2012,” Ramesh Gawas, truck owner from Bicholim said.
“In 2017 also, we voted for BJP as they managed to restart mining activities in 2016. Both the times, it went in their favour,” he explained, adding, “But this time it is going to be different… and you will see the result.”
Mining came to halt in Goa from March 2017 after the Supreme Court quashed and set aside second renewals granted to 88 iron ore leases. Since, then, the State and Central governments have failed to work out a solution to the crisis, which has affected the livelihood of nearly three lakh people dependent on the sector.
BJP spokesperson Damu Naik said people from the mining belt have voted for BJP as they know that only a BJP-led government can solve the issue. “We will win in all these constituencies with a good margin,” he said.
On the other hand, Congress claims that during the campaign, they came across mining people who vent out their anger against the government for fooling them. “I have campaigned in mining areas and seen how frustrated people are. I have seen people expressing their anger against BJP for fooling them, for playing with their sentiments and for trying to eliminate their livelihood,” Leader of Opposition Chandrakant Kavalekar said. “We are confident the mining dependents will teach BJP a lesson through this election,” he added.
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CM’s constituency leads mining belt in voter turnout
Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant’s Sanquelim constituency saw a high voter turnout of 84.86 per cent, which is the second highest after Mandrem, for the North Goa Parliamentary seat. The latter, where there were by-elections, recorded 86.52 per cent votes.
In the 2017 Assembly elections, Sanquelim, represented by Sawant in the last two terms, had reported 90.61 per cent voter turnout.
BJP’s Rajesh Patnekar’s Bicholim constituency saw 81.65 per cent voting, which is almost eight percentage points lower compared to the last Assembly elections. Also, Mayem, a BJP bastion, that recorded 89.05 per cent voter turnout in last Assembly elections, saw only 80 percent of people coming out to cast their votes.
The turnout in South Goa constituencies was not so overwhelming. Quepem (Congress) recorded 76.46 per cent turnout, Curchorem (BJP) 77.19 per cent, Sanvordem (BJP) 79.80 per cent and Sanguem (IND) 78.55 per cent.
