MARGAO: Hype, publicity, allegations and clarifications, Margao municipality sadly hasn’t delivered a full-hearted verdict. Several agitations, public meetings led by citizen groups, press conferences and issue based mobilisation by leaders hasn’t moved the voters. The percentage of Margao’s voting came out to be at an average of 10 percent lower compared to the other municipalities across Goa.
What went wrong? experts are asking. Some say it is frustration of the voters, some say it is because of a prime party of Goa staying away from the elections, others have now moved on.
Except for ward 25 topping the list with a 75 percent voter turnout, most of the other wards cruised below 65 percent. Several cases of unfound voter names were brought up in the wards. Some 10 to 15 names from the voters list were found missing in ward 24. These voters have cards and were shifted in the delimitation process. However, their names couldn’t be found by the presiding officers.
The overall voting amongst males was recorded at 20,387 and females at 21,640. The total number of votes polled was 42,027 in this election. Males who cast their votes accounted for 64.65 percent as compared to females, which stood at 4 percent higher at 68.02. Ward 15 in Kharebandh, Sirvodem and Kharellem registered the highest voter turnout of 2233 closely followed by ward 16 at 2232.
In another case, around 40 names of mostly women voters from ward 11, Junta Quarters, were missing from the electoral roll. The women had to go without exercising their vote. According to available information, the names of these voters were removed during the Lok Sabha election in 2014 and never added by the concerned officers.
The Returning Officer says that he received only one complaint of a person claiming his name was missing from the voters roll. “The electoral roll we have used in these elections is the one which has been updated on January 1, 2015 and the additions and deletions which have happened during the year will be updated in the roll of 2016 in January. This can be a possible reason for some missing names,” Returning Officer Surendra Naik claimed.
Incidents, which will put the democratic process of voting to shame have been reported in some wards. In ward 20 several groups of first time voters, youth, forming groups and demanding money for votes have been reported. According to sources, youth from the ward formed groups and approached candidates selling their votes for money and other perks.
“There were four groups of youth of 12 to 15 each who have been guided by one leader and bargained votes for money,” said the source. “My heart sank when I realised that these were first-time voters and soon realised that elections in future won’t be fair as educated youth have indulged in capitalist ideas,” added the source.
Some more incidents of migrants voting for money have also been reported. “Several migrants have voting cards in Goa and come during election specially to vote. These groups have agents who take money and then distribute. The worst part is that these voters have no concern or nothing to do with the problems of Margao,” said a candidate.
