KAPADWANJ, Sept 5: Bapu' Shankersinh Vaghela's rounds of Kapadwanj in his Tata Sumo till late last evening to exhort party workers to ensure maximum participation didn't have much effect. The constituency polled a moderate 46 per cent, as much as 10 per cent lower than last year.However, it was in the tiny villages on the outskirts where colourful Enfield-fitted `chakda gadis' did the rounds with veiled women in snazzy pink holding onto children and the old and invalids turned up at polling booths on cots that the democratic right was truly exercised.Seventy per cent polling was registered in the village of Betawada, where enthusiastic villagers flocked around the village well, awaiting their turn at the polling booth that had been set up at a primary school. The widows of Bayed, barefoot and clad in traditional sky blue sarees, were some of the first to turn up with voting touching 39 per cent by afternoon. In towns like Dehgam and Daskroi, the percentage of afternoon voting was much less - about 15 per cent - and Prantij had registered 23 per cent.In villages, the enthusiasm was obvious, be it in the springy walk of 19-year-old Ganpatbhai Chotubhai who was a first-timer at a polling booth or the raspy views of 80-year-old invalid Dayaj Muthunji Jhala who voted from his cot and hoped that the new Government would do something about the dry fields and the drying bajra crop that badly needed water.The excitement was palpable at the national highway connecting Ahmedabad to Kathlal. Tractors and tempos were ferrying villagers to polling booths, roadside tea stalls were doing brisk business and corn carts were dishing out steaming stuff to waiting villagers.Though Jaiprakash Thakur, PA to Vaghela, claimed that Bapu had caught a BJP vehicle at Nirmali village that was carrying liquor and said they had information that 30 tempos and Ambassadors had entered Kathlal late last evening carrying private security guards and weapons, in general no incidents of violence were reported.Vaghela claimed the BJP had misused poll machinery to garner votes. There was a case of bogus voting at Navapura village and an allegation that a Congress worker was beaten up by BJP supporters at Jhopli ni Poli in Kapadwanj.The BJP countered by saying that their workers had been beaten up in Talod. Around 1.30 pm, tension had built up at the main booths number 119 and 120 at Kapadwanj where a crowd of around 1,000 had collected on the basis of rumours that bogus voting was taking place. DSP BD Waghela and his men quickly dispersed the crowd and later a flag march was held to ensure peace. Central Observer John Kurivilla also came to the spot.
