The Times of India 01.11.2010
Municipal elections peaceful, 72.62 per cent turn out to vote
PANAJI: Elections to the 11 municipal councils in Goa ended peacefully on Sunday recording a high overall voting percentage of 72.62%. Only one person was taken in under preventive arrest under Section 151 of the Criminal Procedure Code in Mormugao. The counting of votes will begin from 8am onwards on Monday.
Briefing the media in Panaji, state election commissioner M Modassir gave the voting percentages of individual municipal councils as follows. Pernem (88.03), Bicholim (78.39), Valpoi (82.49), Mapusa (67.70), Margao (57.76), Cuncolim (66.34), Sanguem (77.08), Quepem (72.05), Curchorem-Cacora (71.89), Vasco (59.13) and Canacona (78.06).
Modassir said that once the counting of votes is done on Monday, the results will be notified. The new councils are expected to meet within a week of the results and elect the chairpersons. The term of the 11 councils that went to the polls on Sunday, officially ends on November 10.
Modassir said, “It is a cause of happiness that with just one casual arrest, we were able to complete the elections to the 11 municipal councils with the help of my officers. Perhaps, this is an example which we can pose to the rest of the country that without violence, we could complete the election process in a majority of the councils. Hopefully one day, the full country will emulate this example of going to the poll process without violence on the day of polling.”
The lone person arrested in Mormugao was identified as Mahesh Kashkar. The Mormugao returning officer Levinson Martins told TOI that although Kashkar was not eligible to vote, he was found standing in queue. Kashkar was asked to leave by authorities but he later returned and was seen trying to influence other voters. He was therefore taken in by Mormugao police under preventive arrest.
Very minor incidents were also reported in Margao and Mapusa, but SEC Modassir said they were not serious and dealt with by the returning officers themselves. These incidents were not brought to my notice, he said.
Incidentally, the Pernem council with the lowest voter count of 3,307 in Goa, registered the highest voting percentage of 88.03%. Conversely, the Margao council with the highest number of voters (62,059), recorded the lowest voting percentage of 57.76. Mormugao council which has the second highest number of voters (60,001), recorded the second lowest voting percentage of 59.13. Voting in Mormugao was probably slow because even at 7pm, five voters were still in queue to vote in polling station number 9 of ward number 5.
When asked why electronic voting machines were not used for these municipal elections, Modassir said it was not notified. The use of EVMs will now be notified and they will be used for the elections to the Corporation of the City of Panaji, Modassir said.
There are a total of 137 wards in the 11 municipal councils but elections in three wards – one each in Mormugao, Valpoi and Pernem – were not held. One councillor each was declared elected unopposed in the councils of Valpoi and Mormugao. Election to one ward in Pernem council was not held because of a technical problem. There were total of 2,26,281 voters in all 11 councils. The total number of candidates were 594. The total number of polling booths were 258.
