VADODARA, Sept 5: A lacklustre beginning set the tone for unenthusiastic polling on Election Day '99, when most of the city and taluka electorate stayed at home in areas as far apart as Chhani, Sardarnagar, Alkapuri and Padra.Only two or three voters were reported to have exercised their franchise in the first 45 minutes various booths in Tarsali. At booth number 154 of Vishalnagar, Tarsali, only 39 of the 1,065 registered voters had cast their vote when Express Newsline visited the area in the morning.``I came to exercise my right, but none of my neighbours seemed interested'', says Manjulaben Goswami. ``Most of them weren't too sure if they wanted to vote at all.''Only the presence of police personnel in school buildings and the like gave away their identity as polling booths in some Tarsali areas. Only 30 of the 1,157 voters had cast their votes in a couple of Sardarnagar booths. At Kishanwadi, it was the same story: a minuscule percentage of the electorate had exercised their franchise when Express Newsline made the rounds.At Baroda High School, Alkapuri, only two persons had cast their vote till 10 am.``Nobody seems interested in the elections'', said a polling officer at Kishanwadi. ``Candidates should consider themselves lucky if the average turnout is 25-30 per cent.''The turnout at the taluka level became better as the day wore on. ``The number of people coming to vote was really low in the morning, but it rose in the afternoon'', said an officer on duty at a Bajwa booth. In Padra, as in Bajwa, voters made an appearance only after noon.``Why should we vote?'' asked a belligerent Sumitra Patel of Bajwa. ``The candidates will not be seen till the next elections. Two years ago, we were promised pure drinking water, but we still have to buy buckets at Rs 7 or Rs 8 each.''A Congress worker at Bajwa, however, explained the turnout thus: ``There's been very little campaigning by either party. Most of the voters haven't even met the candidates, so they aren't interested in the elections''.
