Only 36 % turn up for voting
Sandesh
Prabhudesai
1 November 2007
The South Goa Lok Sabha
bye-election held today recorded the historic lowest turnout of only 36 per cent.
It
means not more than 19 to 25 per cent voters of the constituency would now decide
who their MP is.
Kundai, a village in Madkai Assembly segment of Ponda taluka,
recorded almost zero voting, except one, who voted without knowing that the villagers
have unitedly decided not to vote.
Barring two independents, it is actually
a close contest between Francisco Sardinha of the Congress and Dr Wilfred Mesquite
of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
The Kundai villagers boycotted yesterday's
bye-poll in protest of the state government's failure to resolve the row over
Tapobhumi, an ashram headed by Swami Brahmeshanand.
No election mood was
witnessed anywhere among all the 21 Assembly segments of the South Goa Lok Sabha
constituency. It includes six talukas of Salcete, Mormugao, Ponda, Quepem, Sanguem
and Canacona.
From among the 5.60 lakh voters, only 1.99 lakh voters turned
out at the polling booths.
Lowest voting among all was recorded in Marcaim
Assembly segment - 27.46 per cent, which includes Kundai village. The highest
percentage of 50,63 per cent was recorded only in Sanguem Assembly segment.
Almost
11 Assembly segments have recorded polling below 30 per cent while six others
recorded below 30 per cent. Only Curtorim, Quepem and Shiroda recorded polling
between 44 to 48 per cent.
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