Goa voters brave rain to cast vote in By-polls

Panaji, June 2: Braving monsoon downpour, voters queued up at the polling stations to exercise their franchise amid tight security for the 40-member Goa Legislative Assembly Polls today.

The polling, which began at 0800 hrs, was dull in the first hour though at some places in the capital city, people turned up before the process began.

The electoral fortunes of 202 contestants would be sealed in the ballot boxes in the one-day poll, which ends at 1700 hrs.

The BJP is contesting for a highest number of 33 seats followed by its rival Congress 32, the oldest Maharshtrawadi Gomantak Party-26, Save Goa Front (SGF)-17, JD(S) and UGDP-11 each, Shiv Sena-7, Nationalist Congress Party-6, Communist Party of India(CPI)-3, CPI(Marxist)-1, RPI(A)-4, GSP-1, and Independents-50.

Entire election machinery is in place to hold free and fair polls for which 23 companies of the central para military forces have been deployed besides 7 companies of the Indian Reserve Battalions.

''The forces deployed for this election are double than that of 2002 polls,'' Chief Electoral Officer of Goa Ramesh Negi told sources.

He said authorities have not decided whether to extend the timing, as demanded by certain political parties, in view of the monsoon setting in Goa as polling continues till all the voters in the queue till the last minute exercised their franchise.

The candidates fear low turnout because of the downpour. The situation would not have arisen if the elections were held before the Panchayat elections as planned earlier, election authorities said.

Counting of votes will be held on June 5 as the fifth legislative assembly and the new ministry has to be constituted before June 11.

The main battle is between the ruling Congress-NCP coalition led by Pratapsinh Rane and the BJP opposition led by chief ministerial candidate Manohar Parrikar.

Both have indulged in claims and counter-claims of providing people with an ''able, stable and progressive government'' by securing an absolute majority.

The two are confident that the electorates are not in favour of ''fractured mandate'' thus avoiding horse trading at the instance of opportunistic small-time parties.

For the first time, the jawans of Central paramilitary forces were being deployed event polling booth, even as four companies were set apart as a striking force for emergencies, if any.

As many as 266 booths have been identified as sensitive and hypersensitive, Ramesh Negi said.

Twenty-five observers, besides deputy election commissioner J P Prakash from Delhi, Nalini Netto and Vaman Pater from other States have been posted as special observers to monitor the polls.

There are 10,10,207 electorates, including 5,05,625 men and the rest women in Goa. Sanguem is the largest constituency area-wise and Panaji, the smallest.

Goa has 1,066 polling stations where authorities will use 1,500 Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).

The chance of ''missing'' voters casting votes does not arise as the authorities will videograph the booths.

The registered voters who have not got the EPIC cards are being allowed to vote if they carry 13 different valid documents with a photograph for proof.

Special queues have been arranged for the senior citizens and the physically challenged.

UNI

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