MARGAO: The re-poll for the polling station No 8 at Aquem in the Margao constituency ended peacefully on Tuesday, registering 79.90 per cent voter turnout. There was tight security at the polling station (T B Cunha Government Primary School) with CISF troopers and Goa policemen manning the polling booth.
The re-polling had been ordered after presiding official’s lapses during the February 4 assembly elections were noticed by the returning officer and the district election team.
First two hours of the Tuesday’s re-polling saw long queues at the polling booth, even as women outnumbered men in voting during these two hours.
“Three hundred and twenty-six voters cast their vote upto 11 am,” the presiding officer said, adding that another 126 voters exercised their franchise between 11 am to 1 pm.
The number of the voters started going down as the day wore on.
The polling officials registered nearly 50 per cent voting till 1 pm and another 30 per cent till 5 pm.
This polling booth had 791 votes – 372 males and 419 females. The re-poll recorded 338 votes of females and 294 of males.
The physically challenged voters were brought in wheelchairs.
A visually-impaired student voter complained that only party symbols had been shown and not names of candidates.
Though more BJP workers were seen in the vicinity of the polling booth, supporters of other candidates were also milling about.
Election agents of three candidates – Digambar Kamat (Congress), Sharmad Raiturkar (BJP) and Santosh Raiturkar (AAP) – kept visiting the booth to apprise themselves of the voting.
Sharmad Raiturkar was seen near the polling station with his supporters.
Kamat paid a short visit to the polling booth at around 11 am.
After the re-polling ended the sealed EVM machine was first received at the office of returning officer before taking it to a strong room at the Government Multipurpose High School, Borda.