PANJIM: It was not the usual Monday, first working day of the week. The streets had worn a deserted look but long queues outside the polling stations indicated enthusiasm since it was the day of the Assembly Elections in the State. The crowd was at the polling stations.
The electorates came out in large numbers to celebrate the Festival of Democracy that coincided with Valentine’s Day. Heavily decorated polling stations across several constituencies, the concept of Pink Booths and eco-friendly polling stations seem to have also attracted the voters to cast their votes.
It was “vote” first and “date” later for many couples who didn’t complaint of restrictions owing to the voting days. Elderly citizens too showed their enthusiasm. Herald spoke to a few electorates seeking their views on the overall preparations.
“The booth was eco-friendly. The school, which was turned into a voting centre, is beautiful but I was impressed since all the COVID-19 protocols were also followed. We were given hand gloves to punch on the EVMs. A dustbin was placed to dispose the gloves. The thermal checking and sanitiser arrangements were handled by the team on election duty,” Ranjit Surve, a voter from Dona Paula said.
At the same time, many voters took to social media to post their pictures after the voting with the decorated polling stations at the backdrop.
“The look outside and inside the polling station gave us a feel of a village. It was also an educative day since it created awareness about the local produce and how we can use them,” said second time voter Nicole Fernandes.
She also applauded the hand-crafted wood and bamboo works at these polling stations claiming her family made an impromptu plan to see the décor at other polling booths after casting their votes.
The flower and balloon decorations also attracted many with one of them, Sanjana Kerkar saying she was excited to be a part of the voting process. “I took pictures outside the polling station after the voting and thought to spend some more time but was not allowed. However, I enjoyed the look of the polling station,” she said.
