Lok Sabha Elections: Goa records 35% polling till 11 am

Around 35% voters cast their ballot in Goa till 11 am today, though the crowd at the polling booths started thinning out due to excessive heat, officials said.

The voters responded with enthusiasm till 10 am, but the number started dwindling after that.

According to the Election Commission officials, the voting percentage in North Goa was 36.42% till 11 am, while in South Goa it was 34.11%.

Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar was amongst the early voters when he exercised his franchise at a polling booth in Panaji. He later joined BJP's North Goa candidate Shripad Naik at Ribandar village near here. North Goa Congress Candidate Ravi Naik polled his vote at Ponda booth.

BJP's South Goa candidate Narendra Sawaikar was also seen in Ponda taluka exercising his vote, while his rival Congress candidate Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco voted at Curtorim village, 40 kms away from here.

Former Congress leader Dayanand Narvekar, who is contesting as an independent in North Goa, polled his vote in Mapusa town.

In all 10,60,777 voters will exercise their franchise in both North and South Goa constituencies where major national parties including Congress, BJP, AAP and Communist Party of India (CPI) are in the poll arena.

The women voters outnumber men in the state with 5,32,469 female and 5,28,308 male voters have registered in the rolls.

This morning the polling began at all the 1,624 stations as the election staff had arrived at the spots since last night.

The EC has identified 14 vulnerable and 30 critical polling stations in the state which have been given adequate security cover to avoid any untoward incident.

The polling will conclude at 6 pm.