Dynamite News
Goa polls: 53 per cent turnout in six hours
A brisk 53 per cent turnout has been recorded in the first six hours in Goa Assembly elections 2017.
Panaji/ 4 February 2017. A brisk 53 per cent turnout has been recorded in the first six hours of voting in Goa today where the ruling BJP is battling it out with the opposition Congress, AAP and an alliance of MGP, Shiv Sena and GSM for the 40-member House.
Barring the death of a 78-year-old man outside a polling booth in Panaji city, no untoward incident has been reported from anywhere in the state.
ECI's data from various polling booth showed that about 53 per cent of 11.10 lakh voters turned up to exercise franchise in the first six hours.
An impressive 83 per cent voting was recorded in the state in 2012 assembly polls, which saw the BJP wresting power from the Congress.
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, widely seen as the chief ministerial face of the BJP, Union minister Shripad Naik and Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar were among the early voters who cast their ballots.
Long queues were seen outside almost all the polling stations right from the morning in the state.
Except for minor incidents of EVM failures, which were soon rectified, and cancellation of voting in one booth, polling is progressing peacefully in over 1,642 booths across the state, to decide the fate of 250 contestants in the fray. (With PTI inputs)