66.70% votes cast in Goa municipal polls amid Covid surge

Panaji, April 23 (IANS) Amid a surge in the number of Covid-19 cases in the state, as many as 66.70 per cent voters exercised their franchise in the elections to the five municipal councils in Goa on Friday.According to data released by the State Election Commission (SEC), the highest turnout was witnessed in Sanguem at 81.49 per cent, while Margao reported the lowest turnout at 64.25 per cent.No untoward incident was reported during the polls. The counting of votes will take place on April 26.As many as 1.85 lakh voters were eligible to cast their ballot for the elections to five municipal councils in Mapusa, Margao, Quepem, Sanguem and Mormugao towns.The elections were held amid a spike in Covid-19 cases, which saw 1,420 new cases getting reported from across the state on Friday. There are currently 11,040 active cases in the coastal state.Elections to six other municipal councils were conducted on March 20. The second phase of municipal polls was necessitated after the Bombay High Court had faulted the state government and the State Election Commission for erroneous procedures adopted while reserving municipal constituencies for women, ST, SC and OBCs.
--IANS maya/arm