Panaji, April 13 (IANS) Goa's record voting percentage Saturday has not only surprised politicians in Goa, but also sent pre-poll calculations haywire.
The 76.82 percent vote, a record for Goa as far as Lok Sabha polls here are concerned, has also given credence to the theory of a massive "silent vote"; something that has put the fear of the devil amongst politicians.
Polling in Goa began on a brisk note Saturday morning. But when steady voting threatened to break the 15 percent barrier as early as 9 a.m., even Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, who arguably has the most astute political mind in contemporary Goan politics, estimated a 70 percent voter turnout. He was nearly seven percent off the mark.
Saturday's record breaking voting was nearly 21 percent higher than the percentage posted during the last Lok Sabha election in 2009, when nearly 55 percent of the eligible voters cast ballot.
The 76.82 percent voting record broke the more modest 1998 general election tally of 61 percent.
Parrikar was quick to appropriate the increased voting for his party, claiming the silent voter chosen the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
"They are silent because they do not know you. We (politicians) understand it. When they smile at us, we know it is our vote," Parrikar said.
Former chief minister and Congress candidate from North Goa constituency Ravi Naik claimed the "silent voter" for himself, even revealing a 'trick', which according to him is a litmus test for identifying the instinct of a voter.
"You can see it when you meet them. The smiles they give you are enough of an indicator," explained Naik. The one, who smiles at you is someone who is going to or has voted for you, according to him.
In reality, neither any political party nor a candidate has anticipated the volume of voting before the election day.
Even the election campaigns organised by most of the political parties were lacklustre hardly evoking any popular response, which one is used to seeing in a typical vibrant Indian electioneering "tamasha".
"It was one of the most unattractive campaign. Its not that we did not try getting people to come and participate. The popular response just wasn't there. And it was the case with all parties," said a campaign manager of the BJP on the condition of anonymity.
For the record, the BJP trumped the Congress as well as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as far as organisation and management of the campaign is concerned.
But the huge contradiction between the lack of excitement generated during the election campaign and the tremendous, record-breaking voter response is one of the key reasons why political parties as well as journalists have begun to take the silent voter seriously in these polls.
A senior editor at a local cable news channel Ashley do Rosario claimed that the "silent voter" phenomenon has added a touch of unpredictability to the election and has put the fear of the devil in the top four candidates, two each from the Congress and the BJP, especially when there appeared to be no clear winners in the lot.
"We could have an element of surprise in the North Goa constituency result because of there is just too much of a contradiction. Even political parities like the Congress and the BJP do not really know what to expect, although they spout the usual bravado about 'winning confidently'," said Rosario.
The main contenders for the North Goa seat were sitting MP and BJP candidate Shripad Yesso Naik, Congress candidate Ravi Naik and Dattaram Desai from the AAP.
Aleixo Reginaldo from the Congress and BJP's Narendra Savoikar fought for the South Goa seat. The Congress party has won this seat in 10 out of 14 Lok Sabha elections.
Whether the silent voter has spoken is an answer that can only unravel itself, when the votes polled in the electronic voting machines are decoded and winners are announced May 16.
Coronavirus in Britain: alarm bell for India! The number of passengers increased by 30 percent from last year
A piece of frightening news has come to the fore amidst the rising corona infection in India. The mutated version of the Delta variant of Corona is causing a ruckus in Britain. Since October 11, more
The world's first bitcoin city will be built in El Salvador, know the special things related to it
Central America-based country El Salvador is planning to build the world's first bitcoin city, which will initially be funded by bitcoin-backed bonds. El Salvador President Nayib Bukele said in a
Weather Report: Flood warning in these states of the country, heavy rain alert issued in many districts of UP and Bihar
The rains of the second round of monsoon have gained momentum in many states of the country. While some states are getting relief from this rain, it is becoming a problem for many states. The India
Israel-Hamas war: Jewish leader thanked PM Modi for supporting Israel, said this big thing for India
Indian-American Jewish leader Nissim Rubin has said that the Jewish community is grateful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his statement supporting Israel after the Hamas attack. Jewish leader
Corona war: BMC will build a hospital like China in three months, know how?
Mumbai
88 arrested including the husband of AIMIM councilor in Karnataka's Hubli violence case, Section 144 prevails in the area
After a post on the internet, the police have intensified their action on the violence that broke out in Hubli, Karnataka on Sunday. The police have now arrested 88 people, including the husband of
Ruckus in Rajya Sabha over Masrat Alam's release
New Delhi, March 9 (IANS) The Rajya Sabha witnessed a ruckus over the release of separatist leader Masrat Alam in Jammu and Kashmir, with several members calling it a compromise with national
World Cup starts with convincing New Zealand win
Christchurch, Feb 14 (IANS) Co-hosts New Zealand sent out a stern warning to all their rivals by earning a convincing 98-run victory over 2011 finalists Sri Lanka in the ICC World Cup opener at the
Ratan Tata Successor: Who will be the successor of Padma Vibhushan Ratan Tata, who will handle the empire of 3800 crores
Veteran industrialist and honorary head of Tata Sons Padma Vibhushan Ratan Tata passed away on Wednesday night. He was 86 years old. He breathed his last at Mumbai's Breach Candy Hospital. If Ratan
US-UK intelligence agency warned together for the first time: FBI and MI5 chiefs said - China is the biggest threat to the West
The chiefs of the US and UK intelligence agencies FBI and MI5 have warned about China. He said that China is the biggest threat to Western countries for a long time. China is planning to rob our
