Rupesh Samant

Daijiworld special correspondent
Panaji

Panaji, Feb 4 : The polling for all the 40 constituencies of Goa Legislative Assembly began today at 7 AM with no much queues visible outside the booths.

More than eleven lakh voters are eligible to exercise their right in this election which has 250 candidates in the fray. The voting is being held across 1,642 polling booths in the State with para-military forces and State police guarding the venues.

As the polling began, Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar was amongst the early voters who voted at the polling booth located in the heart of Panaji city at 7.20 AM. Continuing his old fashion of standing in the queue to vote, Parrikar was seen standing amongst the voters waiting for his turn to vote.

The election is being closely fought by major political forces – BJP, Congress, AAP and MGP-led alliance, who have been campaigning in the coastal state for last two months. BJP’s campaign was star-studded with several national leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah addressing the public meeting to rally support for the candidates.

While large number of new faces are contesting this time, the polls will decide political future of Goa’s five former chief ministers – Churchill Alemao, Pratapsinh Rane, Ravi Naik, Digambar Kamat and Luizinho Faleiro along with present CM Laxmikant Parsekar.

The Chief Electoral Office which has been meticulously preparing for the polls since last six months have added various features for the elections in Goa, making the coastal state to have few firsts.

Besides having several polling booths which will be having all-women crew,

Goa will be the first state which will have Voter-verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machine being installed along with Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). — end

The VVPAT machines help the voters to ascertain that his vote has gone to the candidate whom he has voted clearing off the doubt about authenticity of EVMs. The election commission officials who have trained their staff on use of VVPAT machines have rubbished the rumours that the secrecy of voting would be disturbed with this new facility.

The coastal state is also the first state in the country to opt for electronic transmission of postal ballot to service voters. Doing away with the traditional method, the ballot papers are sent to service voters who can download it and send it back to the returning officer via email after voting for candidate of his choice.

Goa has 822 service voters who are either in the defence, para-military forces or on diplomatic missions who can avail this facility sparing them from sending their vote through postal ballot.

Though 2012 Goa Assembly elections witnessed satisfactory 83 per cent voting, the election commission officials in Goa has run an awareness campaign for the voters in order to increase the bar.

Various icons from different fields were engaged to spread message about ethical voting by the commission which had strict vigilance on casinos, matka gambling, unorganized vendors and other activities to avoid money and muscle power from influencing the voters.

For the current polls, AAP is contesting on 39 seats, Congress on 37 and BJP on 36 seats. BJP which had pre-poll alliance in 2012 elections is going alone this time but is supporting independents in four constituencies.

Goa goes for polls, machinery ready to hold incident-free voting

Capping the two month long election campaign, more than eleven lakh voters will decide the fate of next government today, February 4 through the electoral process. The elections for the State Legislative Assembly would be held between 7 am-5 pm in the State across 1,642 booths.

The election machinery equipped with the trained staff and mix of Goa police and para military forces have already been dispatched to their respective polling stations where they will have stay overnight preparing for the D-day.

The mock voting would be conducted little before the actual polling starts in all the booths which are well guarded and monitored through CCTV. The team of election officials led by Chief Electoral Officer Kunal have worked out all the details for conducting the polls under guidance of Election Commission of India.

The election for 40 seat assembly will be crucial for BJP, Congress, AAP, NCP and regional parties like Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, Goa Forward, Goa Vikas Party, Goa Su-Raj Party, Goa Suraksha Manch and others who have thrown their hat in the ring.

What is significant is that the election will decide whether Goa still remains a political bastion for Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and his party. The election would be a referadum on BJP’s five year long rule.

The fate of five former and a current chief ministers will be decided in this election which has 250 candidates – 131 from South and 119 from North Goa – vying to be the next legislators of this tourist state, currently governed by the BJP.

The polls that would be closely monitored by ECI are undergoing a four-corner contest between BJP, Congress, MGP and its allies and AAP. Arvind Kejriwal-led party which is having its first ever foray in Goa’s Assembly elections is contesting on 39 seats, followed by Congress on 38 and BJP on 37 seats.

BJP which had pre-poll alliance during the 2012 assembly polls is going alone except for supporting independents in four constituencies. The party which projected Parrikar as chief ministerial face in 2012 had contested on 28 seats during that (2012) elections which also saw Congress fielding its candidates on 34 seats.

Parrikar-led party had amassed huge 34.68 per cent of the vote share in the year 2012 as against 30.78 per cent of Congress.

Post-2012 election, the state underwent two by-polls first on May 25, 2012 when Cortalim assembly constituency seat fell vacant following demise of sitting legislator and BJP minister Mathany Saldanha and another on February 16, 2015 when Parrikar was elevated to the union cabinet. In both the by-elections BJP candidates won.

The current election is being fought on the plank of ‘verdict for continuation of development’ by BJP, while congress has focused its campaign to ‘U turn’ on the promises by the State government. Congress party has assured corruption free government for the people of Goa.

AAP which has fielded most of its candidates who are fresh faces too harps on corruption with its chief ministerial candidate Elvis Gomes assuring to put processes in place in 90 days to arrest the corruption.

The polling will also see the impact of Rebel RSS Leader Subhash Velingkar on the electorate. Velingkar’s Goa Suraksha Manch (GSM) is having pre-poll alliance with MGP and Shiv Sena.