650 Electronic Voting Machines

Electronic Voting Machines

“All 650 Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) across polling booths in South Goa talukas were moved in the strong rooms spread across Kare Law College and Shree Damodar College of Commerce and Economics by Sunday morning. Counting will commence at 8 a.m on March 6 and till then the EVMs will be kept under stringent security. Candidates were present while strong rooms were sealed,” added Mr Redkar.
Disclosing that election results are likely to be out in four hours on March 6, Mr Redkar also divulged that training on counting of votes for government servants also begun on Sunday.
Goa recorded a record breaking turnout for election at around 80 per cent voter turnout in South Goa while North Goa recorded around 82 per cent voting aggregating to 81.62 per cent of voter turnout across the state.
Mr Redkar stated that the people at large have been cooperative in abiding by the rules imposed due to the code of conduct which he said would be lifted on March 6. “There have been no reports of clashes, violence or fights across South Goa on a Sunday post polls. Section 144 which has been enforced will be in place until March 6 till the counting process ends,” Mr Redkar added.
Meanwhile, the independent candidates Mr Jawahar Dias from Fatorda, Mr Raju Iyer from Curtorim, Mr Ivo Coutinho from Margao and ‘India against Corruption’ members along with the Bharatiya Janata Party member, Mr Laurel Abranches complained of sitting MLAs across party lines misusing police machinery on Election Day.
“Despite booths like Pandawa Chapel polling booth and Mahila Nutan polling booth being declared hypersensitive, there was no police force to stop unlawful assembly. Supporters held and dragged voters’ hands asserting them to vote for particular candidate. Police machinery was misused on election day,” stated social activist and polling agent for an independent candidate, Mr Sanjeev Raiturkar.
Mr Jawahar Dias, an independent candidate from Fatorda, who is an advocate by profession, pointed out that as per rules, the government needs to be dissolved prior to election but the government continued to stay in power only to misuse government machinery.
Another activist, Mr Sriram Raiturkar, pointed out that several complaints of public meetings after 11 a.m were recorded with the Election Commission in Margao but added that no action was taken in this regard