Team Herald
MARGAO: Margao Municipal Council (MMC) witnessed that workers of almost every party that has a panel in fray were deployed to transport voters to the booths dilligently. There were no noteworthy untoward situations across, except a high voltage drama at Fatima Convent High School as Deputy Chief Minister Manohar alias Babu Ajgaonkar visited the polling booth. Even though he was not a registered voter there, he entered the booth and stopped the Digambar Kamat backed candidate from entering
This led to a huge commotion among the gathered crowd hooting at Ajgaonkar. The police had to intervene and peace descended after the tourism minister left the premises. Incidentally Fatima Convent had a polling booth for ward 14 which is reserved for ST women where Babu Ajgaonkar’s niece Ronita is a candidate.
Total 64.25 per cent of the 65,311 voters turned up for Margao Municipal Council (MMC) polls to decide the fate of the 86 candidates in fray.
Till 8 pm the Returning Office Jyoti Kumari was not in a position to give the ward wise per cent of voters.
However, it is learnt that the highest turnout was in ward 7 where 74.09 per cent of the total 2,547 voters cast their ballot while the lowest turnout was in ward 23 where only 56.09 per cent of the 2,815 voters exercised their voting rights.
Incidentally ward 7 is in the general category and has four candidates in the fray including former chairperson of MMC Arthur D’Silva while ward 23 is reserved for ST Women and has three candidates contesting including the daughter of former minister Mama Cardoso.
Fifty two COVID positive voters cast their vote from 4 to 5 pm and they were provided with the safety kit by the polling officers. However, Vibrant Margao Copnvener and former MLA Damodar Naik disclosed that at a booth in Fatorda the presiding officer was asking the patients to come with their own kit and he had to intervene and the kit was provided to them after he called the returning officer.
Leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat who had come to cast his vote at 1 pm admitted that the voting was sluggish and said his workers will now move around getting the people to go and vote.
When voting started Fatorda saw brisk voting in the morning as Fatorda Forward volunteers were seen getting the voters to the booth. In fact a police person at the Urban Health Centre booth was heard cautioning one Fatorda Forward member against the use of that particular vehicle as it was seen that the same vehicle was transporting many voters to the booth.
