Goa Assembly polls: 26.63 pc voter turnout recorded till 11 am

Panaji (Goa) [India], February 14 : Goa reported 26.63 per cent voter turnout till 11 am as the polling is underway in 40 assembly constituencies on Monday, according to the Election Commission of India.
The polling for 40 Assembly seats in Goa began at 7 am and will end at 6 pm today.
Sanquelim from where Chief Minister Pramod Sawant is contesting the Goa Assembly elections so far witnessed the highest percentage of voters' turnout of 33 per cent till the time followed by the Sanquem constituency having 32.87 per cent voter turnout.
In the Quepem assembly seat, around 31 per cent of voters participated in polling till 11 am and 30.60 per cent of people in the Canacona seat, as per Election Commission.
However, Panaji, the traditional seat of former chief minister Manohar Parrikar from where his son Utpal is trying to continue his legacy by contesting polls as an Independent candidate, has recorded a 23.38 per cent voter turnout.
After casting his vote today, Aam Aadmi Party Chief Ministerial face for Goa polls Amit Palekar asserted that people are voting enthusiastically to defeat corruption this time.

"People are voting enthusiastically to defeat corruption, we will witness a sea-change. Let's wait for March 10 results," Palekar told ANI.
On the other hand, Congress candidate from Calangute, Michael Lobo and his wife Delilah Lobo also cast their vote at a polling booth in Goa.

Earlier today, the Chief Electoral Officer of Goa informed that people are voting peacefully in the coastal state.
"Polling process is being conducted peacefully. We want more and more people to vote this time, expecting record-breaking voting. A total of 5 Control Units, 11 VVPATs replaced during mock polls, this is a normal procedure," Kunal, Chief Electoral Officer, Goa told ANI.
A total of 301 candidates from different political parties are in the electoral fray in Goa.
The incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is challenged by Congress, Trinamool Congress, and Aam Admi Party (AAP) in a multi-cornered electoral contest in Goa.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant is contesting from the Sanquelim constituency against Congress' Dharamesh Saglani while the BJP candidate from Margao seat, Manohar Ajgaonkar has been pitched against Congress nominee Digambar Vasant Kamat.
Goa Assembly has a strength of 40 members out of which the BJP currently has 17 legislators and enjoys the support of legislators from Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), Vijay Sardesai of the Goa Forward Party (GFP), and three independents. The GFP and MGP each have three MLAs, and Congress, on the other hand, has 15 MLAs in the house.
The counting of votes in Goa will take place on March 10.