We know vote you did yesterday
TNN | Mar 4, 2012, 04.17AM IST
When it mattered, Goa rose spectacularly to the occasion. On Election
Day, the state's residents chucked aside with a vengeance the perception
of being 'socegado', and lined up before polling booths in every nook
and cranny of Goa. From youth to nonagenarians, four-fifths of a million
stood resolutely for change. Sunday Times of India visits a few key
constituencies to catch the vibe
It's a neck-and-neck fight in the 23 constituencies of North Goa between
the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-Maharastrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP)
alliance and the Congress-NCP one, with a slight edge to the former.
Political observers say that the huge turn out was due to
anti-incumbency and also due to strict poll monitoring system. In
Pernem, Sports minister Manohar (Babu) Azgaonkar is said to be on a
sticky wicket. Former Vasco MLA Rajendra Arlekar who shifted to the SC
reserved seat of Pernem, is likely to become MLA again. In Mandrem,
though, it could be anybody's game. BJP president and sitting MLA
Laxmikant Parsekar was in a close contest with Congress Dayanand Sopte
and Trinamool Congress Sameer Salgaocar. In Bardez, out of seven
constituencies, BJP expected to do well. Observers say that Siolim and
Mapusa are likely to be retained by the BJP candidates and sitting MLAs
Dayanand Mandrekar and Francisco D' Souza. BJP also expects to retain
Saligao, which witnessed an intense fight involving independent Tulio de
Souza and NCP Suresh Parulekar. Congress-NCP alliance candidates were on
a strong footing in Aldona and Tivim. In Porvorim, Independent candidate
Rohan Khaunte was engaged in a close encounter with BJP candidate Govind
Parvatkar and NCP's Fermeena Khaunte. In a late evening development,
supporters of Rohan had a celebration in Porvorim claiming victory.
Calangute also witnesssed a close tie between Michael Lobo who is
supported by Calangute sarpanch Joseph Sequeira and sitting MLA Agnelo
Fernandes. The fight was so intense that Fernandes filed a compalint of
threat to kill against sequeira. Analysts say that a photo finish is to
be expected in St Cruz, where the fight is between education minister
and Congress candidate Antanasio 'Babush' Monserrate, MGP candidate
Dinar Tarcar and independent candidate Rudolf Fernandes . Meanwhile in
Ponda, the MGP is likely to retain both seats by Dhavlikar brother,
Marcaim: Ramkrishna 'Sudin' Dhavlikar and Priol: Pandurang 'Deepak'
Dhavilakar.
Panaji
Except for a stray incident between a candidate an opposition worker,
polling was largely peaceful in the capital, where the mostcommon
complaint was the slow pace of voting. "I have been standing at one spot
in this line for 20 minutes. The line is not moving ahead. It should
(ideally) be fast, said a middle-aged voter who requested anonymity. BJP
candidate Manohar Parrikar said "The high turnout is to throw the
government out. People want change. I can sense that." The snail pace
voting did not escape Parrikar's attention. "The speed (of voting) is
slow. My agents are giving feedback to the election commission," said
Parrikar. Congress candidate Yatin Parekh too felt the high turnout
would aid his prospects. "People are looking for change," said Parekh.
Cumbharjua
Cumbharjua's voters came out in strong numbers to exercise their
franchise on Saturday. One voter said that two major candidates were
running neck-and-neck with a former MLA having a slight edge. At another
polling booth, a voter told STOI there was no major anti-incumbency in
the constituency. There were serpentine queues in many polling booths
and voters seemed exasperated about the new procedures (fingerprinting
and photography) introduced for this election."We have the EPIC card
plus the voter's slip," said an elderly voter. "Why do they need these
additional measures?" he questioned. Asked his thoughts on the high
voter turnout, independent candidate Bismarque Dias, a priest, said, "It
is fantastic. I have great confidence. The people's decision is my
victory. We have given them a choice."
Poriem, Valpoi
Voters thronged the polling booths of Sattari's Poriem and Valpoi
constituencies where the fates of the father-son duo of Pratapsingh and
Vishwajit Rane are on the line. The turnout in Poriem left the Congress
hoping their speaker in the legislative assembly will retain his fiefdom
of over three decades, while the BJP is also hopeful that people have
voted for Vishwajit Krishnarao Rane. At Invrem, a hamlet of the village
panchayat of Thane-Dongurli, over 80% voters voted. The villagers are
largely dissatisfied as their land rights' issue is yet to be solved
while a proper rehabilitation package has also yet to be given after the
ban on kumeri cultivation.Vishnu Yeshwant Gawas, 67, said, "This time we
have decided to vote for the BJP as our MLA representing us for over
three decades has failed miserably in solving our land ownership issue."
While Rane junior, in Valpoi, is "sure" of his win, at many places in
Valpoi constituency voters said they voted for change. At Sonal,
Tulshidas Naik said, "No doubt our MLA has helped us get government
jobs, but we have a lot of problems in our village.We have no land for a
crematorium."
Bicholim
Mining dust in Bicholim constituency settled on Saturday to witness the
electrifying contest between the Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
and independents. Supporters of Congress candidate Rajesh Patnekar,
independent candidate Naresh Sawal and BJP candidate were busy on their
phones, contacting their colleagues in other places to get feedback on
latest trend.Even as vehicles were restricted 200 meters away from
polling booths, supporters where busy ferrying in voters. The BJP
supporters at the booths were cool, peacefully watching the charged
supporters of independent and Congress candidates. "The supporters of
both Patnekar and Sawal are over-enthusiastic because of their personal
rivals," said observers.
Ponda
It was a peaceful assembly election for the voters of Ponda on Saturday.
Starting on a sluggish note, voting across the constituency picked up
pace through the latter part of the day to end at 79.64%. The highest
voter turnout of 92.42% (of a total of 28,580) was at government primary
school, Gauthan-Khandepar; the lowest, 61.93%, was at Haveli, Curti.
"Several factors are behind the large turnout-people understood that
they have to shun their socegado attitude and vote for change, the
pleasant weather condition, 100% turnout of cadre of various political
parties and the weekend holiday," felt Sunil Desai, a local BJP leader.
Some also credited the decline in anomalies in the voters' list and
better management of the polls. By the end of the ballot process,
political parties were left struggling to interpret the enthusiasm
displayed by voters. Some say the trend signals an antiincumbency wave,
while others opine that many elections in recent times have seen voters
turn up in large numbers to give the ruling dispensation a massive
endorsement.
Mandrem
That Mandrem is a deeply divided constituency and was in the deep of a
neck-to-neck fight on Saturday was best described by a family whose
individual members tried hard to ferry voters headed to a polling booth
towards voting for the Bharatiya Janata Party, Congress and Trinamool
Congress candidates. The polls ended peacefully in the constituency but
it's hard to predict who among BJP's Laxmikant Parsekar, Congress'
Dayanand Sopte and Trinamool's Sameer Salgaocar has the edge. All that
analysts are sure of is that the winning margin will be slender. Post
5pm, there was much celebration seen in both, the BJP and Congress
camps, as 'exit polls' reached their ears from the various agents they
had stationed at booths. A few hours later, their spirits plummeted as
the news wasn't positive anymore. Mandrem is presently abuzz with
estimated booth results and statistics being compiled and predictions
galore are doing the rounds. Both camps are thoroughly confused and yet,
are hopeful that they will emerge victorious. Punters too are betting
three ways with sources saying the odds are a little higher in favour of
Parsekar than Sameer and Sopte.
A large turnout at polling booths in South Goa has made the camps of
several political heavyweights jittery. Political observers said that
there would be many shocks and surprises when the votes are taken for
counting on March 6.
In Margao, it was difficult to read voters' minds, though both
camps-those of chief minister Digambar Kamat and BJP's Rupesh
Mahatme-were confident of winning. In Velim, independent Benjamin Silva
too may spring a surprise on water resources minister Filipe Neri
Rodrigues, if he manages to do well in St Jose de Areal, Dicarpale and
Sarzora, regions that were added post delimitation. In Cuncolim, urban
development minister Joaquim Alemao may also face the same fate as elder
brother Churchill, going by the popular mood among the electorate,
political observers said.
Indications were that Subhash 'Rajan' Naik, had fared quite well in
municipal areas of Cuncolim as well as in Balli panchayat areas, and
thus had fair chances of winning. The "silent voters" that had turned
out in large numbers this time may well go in favour of the BJP in
Cuncolim. In Benaulim, Valanka Alemao's chances are not too bright,
political analysts say, though they were not willing to write her off
either.A split in the anti-Congress votes, which is not unlikely, may
help Valanka scrape through by a narrow margin, sources said.
In Curtorim, incumbent MLA Alex Reginald Lourenco is likely to manage
his seat though BJP-backed Domnick Gaonkar may run him close. Likewise,
in Fatorda, BJP's Damodar 'Damu' Naik may be able to retain his seat in
a closely contested fight with independent Vijai Sardessai. Further
south, in Curchorem, the results could go either way in what promises to
be a nail-biting photo-finish. Ditto in Quepem. While incumbent
Chandrakant "Babu" Kavlekar may sail smoothly, in Sanguem and Sanvordem
it's going to be a closely fought battle.
Fatorda
Youth made their presence felt in a big way in Fatorda.Barring some
verbal clashes between supporters of Fatorda MLA Damu Naik and
independent candidate Vijai Sardessai outside a polling booth, there
were no major law and order problems. Tense moments were witnessed at
Borda, after Naik's supporters complained to the authorities that
Sardesai's supporters were entering into polling booths and soliciting
their votes. Naik was seen arguing with the election officers charging
them with failing to take action against the violators. Additional
collector Prasanna Acharya and Dy SP Shamba Sawant kept a close vigil on
the situation. Perhaps sensing the mood of the young voters, the
BJP-camp in Fatorda was seen using the social networking sites to
optimum use for keeping their voters updated about the happenings. "Last
one hour of voting remaining! I hope all of you have voted. Also please
check up with your friends and family and urge them to vote if they
haven't as yet. Victory will be ours!" read Naik's post in Facebook
which evoked a good response.
Margao
In Digambar Kamat's home turf, polling was peaceful though there were
complaints galore that Kamat's supporters were canvassing inside polling
booths. Noaction was being taken, the complainants alleged. At Moti
Dongor, the area which has been classified as vulnerable, no untoward
incident was reported though a large percentage of polling was recorded
in the three polling stations located in the area. The election
observers were seen keeping a close watch on the situation at Moti
Dongor, which has been the vote bank of the chief minister for long. A
strong posse of armed police was stationed in the area to prevent any
incidents of law and order. The two polling booths are located in slum
areas. Unlike in the past, there were no incidents of bogus voting in
this area, thanks mainly to the poll monitoring system (PMS) whereby
each voter is photographed and his thumb impression taken. The BJP camp
was also upbeat. "The high turnout suggests that it is a vote against
Digambar Kamat. I am sure the mandate of the people in Margao is for the
BJP," BJP's candidate, Rupesh Mahatme told STOI.
Navelim
Polling in Navelim went along smoothly barring a tense situation
prevailed for a while at Davorlim, however, no untoward incident was
reported from any place. Clashes between supporters of the rival
candidates-PWD minister Churchill Alemao and independent candidate
Avertano Furtado-led to some tense moments in the morning after the
Furtado-camp complained that Alemao's son-daughter duo were allegedly
distributing cash in some house at Davorlim. Police intervened and made
the two leave the house. A visibly annoyed and harried Alemao then
rushed to the site and was seen arguing with the police officers,
accusing them of harassing his supporters. His brother, Kennedy was also
spotted among his supporters and the mood in the camp was definitely not
encouraging. On the other hand, the Furtado camp was upbeat. The large
turnout of voters had obviously buoyed their prospects. "The rise in
polling percentage is the indication of the fact that the people have
voted out Churchill. The people's mandate is for me, and that's for
certain," a visibly elated Furtado told STOI.
Nuvem
Two sitting MLAs, Aleixo Sequeira (Congress) and Francisco 'Miccky
Pacheco' (Goa Vikas Party), battled it out in Nuvem in what appears to
be a very close contest. The day was marred with several incidents of
unlawful assembly where a heavy police force and the two MLA's had to
repeatedly rush to polling booths at Kirbhat, Loutolim and Nagoa to try
and diffuse the situation after supporters of both groups clashed. In
this backdrop, the sentiment amongst the locals were divided with half
of them feeling that Mickky would win given the anti-incumbency factor
and that Mickky was far more approachable whereas on the the other hand
locals were of the firm belief that not only Sequeira who has been their
MLA for the last 17 years done a lot for them, the places of falling
under Nuvem were traditional strongholds of the Congress party. It is
evident that Mickky has endeared himself to parts of what was considered
to be Congress bastions and has even made inroads in Loutolim Town which
is a few kilometers away from Sequeira's house. Huge crowds supporting
Mickky were seen at Loutulim,Betalbatim and even in Verna besides other
parts of Nuvem which were indicative of the pro Mickky wave hitting
Nuvem. Sequeira was confident. "There is no question about it, it is a
sure shot victory", said a calm and composed Aleixo Sequeira who was
being stopped by locals at Nagoa, passing by who wanted to wish him best
of luck. Supporters of Sequeira further explained that talk of Sequeira
being unapproachable were baseless as locals after locals spoke in favor
of the Power minister listing out all the times he helped him or did work.
Benualim
Compared to many other constituencies in Salcete, Benualim was calm and
quiet. Things were so normal-like that some locals were seen preparing
tea for the tired police force and officials after counting was over.
Minor clashes were reported between supporters of Goa Vikas Party's
Caetano Silva, Congress's Valanka Alemaio and independent John Fernandes
at polling booth nos 21 and 16. Two clashes were witnessed, one in
Benaulim and the other in Varca, between workers of Valanka and Caitu.
Valanka seemed to have good support in Varca while Caitu held his ground
in Benaulim. Colva appeared to have a soft corner for John, which also
was due to a sympathy factor. He was behind bars for a long time in the
Russian rape case. Dr Huberto Gomes was widely seen as an alternative;
he has a clean image. While some politicians were abusing the police in
some other constituencies in Salcete, it was the opposite near the
Benaulim football ground, where some villagers had prepared tea and
snacks for the security men. The response from women-young and old-was
very good, right from morning.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/We-know-vote-you-did-yesterday/articleshow/12129405.cms
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