83 per cent vote in Valpoi

VALPOI, OCT 18
Braving heavy rains throughout the day, 83.08 per cent of the voters exercised their franchise for the Valpoi assembly by-election on Monday.
The highest voting percentage was reported at Murmune booth (93.3%), while the lowest turnout was recorded at the Valpoi booth (64.37%).
According to Returning Officer Jayant Tari and Valpoi Police Inspector Sandesh Chodankar, no untoward incident was reported and the election was conducted peacefully.
The Valpoi constituency consists of voters from Valpoi Municipal Council (VMC) area and five panchayats, Bhironde, Guleli, Khotode, Savorde and Nagargao.
As many as 14,884 of the 17,920 voters eligible to exercise their franchise for the Valpoi by-election, with 7,664 of the total 9,107 males casting their vote (84%) and 7,220 of the 8,805 females cast their votes (82%).
The Poll Monitoring System (PMS), which was introduced for the first time at Valpoi, was a grand success without any hurdles.
During the first two hours, the voting process was slow at many booths from 8 am to 10 am, but it picked up after 12 noon.
The average percentage at 1.30 pm was about 60% at Bhrahmakalmali booth, the largest booth which has over 900 voters. At Kodal booth, the voting was only 25% till 11.15 am, while it was even less than 25% till 12 noon, but at Padeli, Advoi, Savorshe, Nanus, Nagargao booths, the voting had crossed 60% by 1 pm.
When asked about Bironde booth wearing a deserted look at about 12.30 pm with no voters outside the booth, Bironde Panch Ravindra Rane said over 65% of the enthusiastic voters had already cast their votes before 12 noon, while the remaining voters would vote in the afternoon.
A couple from Ward 7 of VMC, who went to exercise their franchise at Valpoi booth, was shocked to see their names deleted from the roll due to shifting of their residence in Ward 9 of VMC. Their names were not found in Ward 9 and they had to go back without voting.
Similarly, at least eight such cases were reported in the municipal area and voters had to go back without voting, as their names were deleted from the roll.
According to sources in the mamlatdar’s office, voters’ names were deleted due to their shifting of residence.
However, voters who have shifted from one ward to another and completed the required enrolling formalities in the electoral roll, their names are included in the particular ward in which they have shifted their place of residence and those who have not completed the formalities, neither their names are intact in original ward nor included in other ward in which they have shifted their residence.
At some booths, the CISF personnel did not allow any political group to stand near the booth. They were repeatedly seen warning the groups not to stand within 100 mts of the polling stations. Even former VMC chairpersons and a few councillors were not spared of this rule.
Speaking to Herald, North Goa Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) executive member Hanumant Parob said that he filed a complaint with section magistrate that some supporters of Congress candidate Vishwajeet Rane were canvassing near one of the booths.
Parob further informed that the section magistrate took note of it and warned the group to disperse from the site. Later, the group went away from the premises of booth, he said.
There were rumours that a group of some 125 voters from Kodal had decided to boycott the election, but when Herald visited Kodal booth at about 12 noon, heavy queue of voters was seen to exercise their franchise.
However, it could not be ascertained whether the group of 125 voters were among the voters waiting at the booth to vote or not.