81 per cent voter turnout in Goa polls

Goa witnessed a huge turnout for the assembly elections on Saturday, with a record 81 per cent voters casting their ballots.

North Goa district reported a big turnout with the constituencies of Poriem, Sanguem and Madkai recording 89 per cent voting, followed by Sankhalimat -- 87 per cent -- while an estimated 75 per cent voters cast their ballots in South Goa.

Chief Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi told reporters in New Delhi that an estimated 81 per cent voters had cast their ballots in the coastal state. The previous highest voting in the state was in 2007, when 70.51 per cent voters had voted.

Election Commission officials were in for a surprise when a booth in Dovorlim locality near Margao reported 100 per cent voting by 3.30 pm, 90 minutes before the close of polling. Two booths, one in Poriem and another in Sankhalim constituency, had recorded 95 per cent voting by 4 pm.

The figures received till 4 pm indicated that people in the mining belt came out in large numbers for polling.

Minor scuffles were reported during the day with Congress' Panaji candidate Yatin Parekh hurling abuses against Bharatiya Janata Party workers while Public Works Department Minister Churchill Alemao threatened a senior police officer in front of the media in Navelim constituency.