North Goa islands witness smooth polling

OLD GOA: Just an hour after sunrise, polling in the island villages of Divar, Vanxim and Narva began. With no untoward incident taking place, polling went along smoothly and the overall turnout was satisfactory.
Cumbharjua MLA Pandurang Madkaikar said, "There was a 55% turnout in my constituency. It was low in Divar and St Estevam as more than 50% of the Catholics there are abroad.In other places the turnout on an average was 60%. I am confident that the Congress will get a lead of more than 2000 votes."
The two polling booths at Piedade-Divar, recorded a turnout of 49% and 52.2%, whereas Narva registered 58.53%. Malar saw a turnout of 63% and 55% at both its polling booths.
Two police personnel each were posted at the entrance to all booths in Divar, Vanxim and Narva.
Polling in Piedade was a quiet affair. In Malar, however, there were long queues of people seen waiting to exercise their franchise.
According to polling observers, the first half of the day saw a higher percentage of people voting at Divar, Vanxim and Narva.
It was a easy-going day for the polling staff deployed at the lone polling booth, No 15/1, on the tiny island of Vanxim. According to the polling officer, out of a total number of 167 voters in Vanxim, only 85 people actually turned up to caste their vote.
Incidentally, the island of Vanxim lies in the tributary of the Mandovi river and is linked to the island of Divar by a ferry service.
"Several houses in Vanxim are shut and the residents live in Panaji or elsewhere due to several reasons," said Manuel Furtado, a panch representing Vanxim in the Sao Mathias panchayat.
An observer at one of the polling booths on the Divar island said, "The was no untoward incident and the ratio of men and women casting their votes was almost equal."