NT Reporter
Ponda
With seven seats at stake, Ponda taluka recorded a heavy voter turnout in the Zilla Panchayat elections, with Betki and Usgao registering over 82 per cent polling, while Shiroda and Borim recorded around 73 per cent turnout. No untoward incident was reported during the polling process.
In Shiroda, daughter of local MLA and Water Resources Minister Subhash Shirodkar is contesting the ZP polls on the BJP ticket.
Polling began on a brisk note across the taluka, with around 15 per cent turnout recorded in the first two hours. Betki and Curti reported early turnout of 17.45 per cent and 17.30 per cent respectively. By the halfway mark, Betki had recorded 37.78 per cent polling, followed by Curti at 36.38 per cent, Usgao at 32.89 per cent and Veling at 35.78 per cent.
As the day progressed, voter participation increased steadily, with overall turnout touching about 56 per cent across the taluka. Borim and Quella, however, remained below the 50 per cent mark at this stage, recording 48.10 per cent and 48.80 per cent respectively, while Shiroda saw 53.60 per cent of its electorate casting votes.
Politically, Curti constituency assumes significance as Dr Ketan Bhatikar resigned from the MGP and is supporting an independent candidate against BJP.
By 5pm, Betki polled 81.32 per cent, followed by Usgao at 82.84 per cent. Curti recorded 74.67 per cent turnout, Veling 73.23 per cent, Shiroda 73.49 per cent, Borim 72.83 per cent and Queula 68.63 per cent.
Polling concluded at 5 pm with Betki recording 81.34 per cent turnout, while Usgao registered 79.80 per cent. Curti polled 76.69 per cent, Veling 73.81 per cent, Shiroda 74.29 per cent, Borim 72.38 per cent and Quella 71.25 per cent.
