Despite heavy rains and officials’ hamhanded conduct in several places, Goans turned out in big numbers to meet their civic responsibility to elect a new 40-member Goa Assembly. People stood in queues at polling booths well past 7.30 pm as officials struggled to complete the procedures.Chief Electoral Officer Ramesh Negi put the turnout at 72 per cent and said this exceeded the 68.8 recorded in 2002. Nearly 80-85 per cent voters exercised their franchise in rural constituencies. Polling day coincided with the first day of the monsoons and heavy showers lashed much of Goa. But the rain and the flooding of small rivers did not deter the electorate. From a mere 10 per cent turnout in the first two hours, the number of voters increased later in the day.In many places people were turned back as presiding officers at polling booths, on the instruction of the EC, insisted they showed their voters’ identity cards. Many people who had misplaced their voters cards had to leave without voting. Goa Chief Minister Pratapsinh Rane himself was one such and had to go home without casting his vote at the Karapur polling booth in north Goa’s Mayem constituency. He returned later to vote.Political parties have expressed dismay at the way polls were conducted in Goa. “The EC does not have uniform rules in all the states. In Goa they should not have held the polls so close to the monsoons. Also election cards are not insisted upon in other states as in Goa,” Congress Rajya Sabha member Shantaram Naik said. There were six former chief ministers and a sitting chief minister in the fray. Interestingly two former chief ministers, Luizinho Faleiro and Churchill Alemao, are contesting against each other from the Navelim seat. The seat has been held by Faleiro for six continuous terms.In all there were 202 candidates, including 49 independents, in the fray for the 40 seats. The major contenders are the Congress, BJP, NCP, Save Goa Front, United Goans Democratic Party and the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party.
