Team Herald
PONDA: Restlessness and anxiety have gripped both the voters and the contestants alike in the temple town, who resent the delay in declaring the results of the just concluded Assembly elections.
The Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) containing the fates of the contestants are safely stored in “strong rooms” and are being guarded 24×7 by a three-tier security system. The counting and results are scheduled for March 11 – nearly five weeks from now – in view of elections in northern States.
While on the one hand the delay is causing anxiety, on the other the numerous “poll surveys” are giving sleepless nights to the candidates.
Considering that the Goaan populous is politically active as the common man, youth and the media take keen interest in the political process in the state, scheduling the results after a month of polling, has ripped off the enthusiasm among the voters. And the supporters of election candidates, who are ever eager for a victory celebration, are forced to hold back their enthusiasm till March 11.
Viraj Sapre, a politically active voter, complained that “The government has already spent Rs 57 crore on the elections. Now guarding the EVMs round the clock for a month will cost a lot of money.”
Meanwhile, poll observers have predicted “shocking results” for some established politicians in Ponda taluka.
Popular joints in the town are abuzz with competing predictions as to who would from the next government. While one group of local “experts” swear by the BJP, another group is betting its money on the Congress; and yet a third group banks on the MGP to form the next government.
