Panaji, Apr 23 (UNI) Polling for Lok Sabha elections and by-elections in Goa ended peacefully on Tuesday.
According to office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) here, 72.04 per per cent polling was recorded till end of voting in two Lok Sabha constituencies.
While North Goa Lok Sabha constituency recorded 73.92 per cent of polling, South Goa recorded 70.15 per cent, with average turnout of 72.04 per cent.
In Mandrem, Mapusa and Shiroda Assembly constituencies, where by-elections were held, the polling percentage was recorded at 81.61 per cent, 75.17 per cent and 80.90 per cent respectively.
The polling had started at 0700 hrs and ended at 1800 hrs. However, at some of the polling stations there were reports of delay in starting of polling due to problems in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). At one polling station in Cuncolim assembly segment all the EVMs were replaced following a complaint by Aam Adami Party (AAP) Lok Sabha election candidate Elvis Gomes. VVPAT machine assigned to a polling station in Siolim Assembly constituency was replaced as it was printing dummy symbols.
Elections to two Lok Sabha constituencies and by-elections to three assembly constituencies were held in Goa. The Lok Sabha constituencies which went for polls in third phase of elections were South Goa and North Goa while assembly segments which went for elections were Mandrem, Mapusa and Shiroda.
There are six candidates each in the two Lok Sabha constituencies whose electoral fates were sealed in the EVMs. The prominent candidates in South Goa are former State Chief Minister Francisco Sardinha, Aam Adami Party (AAP) Goa Convenor Elvis Gomes, BJP MP Narendra Sawaikar and Shiv Sena Vice President Rakhi Prabhudessai Naik.
In North Goa, prominent candidates are Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) President Girish Chodankar, Union Minister for AYUSH Shripad Naik and AAP candidate Pradeep Padgaonkar.
The main contenders in the by-elections are former Deputy Chief Minister Francis D'Souza's son Joshua D'Souza (Bharatiya Janata Party) and Sudhir Kandolkar (Congress) in Mapusa constituency, former MLA Dayanand Sopte (BJP) and Babi Bagkar (Congress) in Mandrem constituency while former MLAs Subhash Shirodkar (BJP), Mahadev Naik (Congress) and Deepak Dhavalikar (Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party) in Shiroda constituency.
There were 1652 polling stations in the state. As many as 12,000 government employees were engaged in the election process and close to 4,000 police personnel deployed for security.
There were 113 polling stations for bypoll to three assembly constituencies.
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