On Monday, Goa had a high voter participation of 78.94% in the polls for the 40 assembly seats. Three hundred and one candidates’ electoral fates were sealed in EVMs, which on March 10, will be unlocked for counting.Â
Compared to 2017’s turnout of voters, 2022 has shown significant progress. This year about 79 percent of voters cast their votes, while in 2017, the percentage was only 81.21%. Â
Goa’s single-phase polling ended with all 40 assembly seats in the state concluded. The most extraordinary turnout was spotted in Sanquelim, where CM and BJP leader Pramod Sawant are candidates.Â
 The state’s Congress party has stated that they hope to form a government with an absolute majority.Â
As per the Chief Electoral Officer’s official figures, the maximum voter participation was registered in the Sanquelim constituency at 89.61 percent, whereas the lowest was in Benaulim at 70.2 percent.Â
Goa is the country’s smallest state and contains only two districts: North Goa and South Goa. Â
The highest percentage of voters’ turnout was witnessed in North with 79%, whereas South Goa had 78%.Â
Dinesh Gundu Rao, All India Congress Committee (AICC) in charge of Goa, told ANI, “People have turned out in great numbers to cast their votes, and their voice would be visible in the outcomes.”Â
While determining the “anti-incumbency” wave in Goa, a state ruled by the BJP government, the Congress leader said, “People want BJP out…”. Â
According to him, there is a vast anti-incumbency wave in Goa, which is why a high voter turnout has been witnessed. Â
Congress believes that this wave will work in their favor and lead Congress to a full majority in Goa. Â
Congress has formed an alliance with the Goa Forward Party for the Goa assembly elections 2022.Â
Dharmesh Saglani, a Congress candidate, was pitted against Sawant. Interestingly, Sawant has won consecutively from the Sanquelim seat. Despite losing from the Pale election in 2008, Sawant won the Sanquelim seat in 2012 as well as in 2017.Â
There was also a considerable turnout of the first-time transgender voters in the Goa Assembly Elections 2022.Â
Amit Palekar, the Aam Aadmi Party’s Goa Chief Minister nominee, voted in the Goa Assembly elections on Monday, saying that now is the time to make a change. His mother accompanied him to the booth. Palekar, who is confident in his ability to enact change, stated, “People are voting in massive numbers to end corruption, and we will see a tidal shift. Let us wait for the results on March 10.”Â
The polls went on smoothly throughout the day, but Congress and BJP workers got themselves into a verbal fight at Vasco’s polling station, the flying squad and the Goa Police had to intervene.Â
State, candidates, and voters eagerly await the Goan poll results that’d be declared on March 10, 2022.Â
Edited By- Subbuthai Padma
Published By- Bharat Anand
