38 percent voting recorded till noon in Goa polls (1st lead Goa polls)

Panaji, Mar 3 (ANI): Over 38 percent voting was recorded till noon in polling for the 40-member assembly in Goa.

Voting in Goa began at 7 a.m. and will continue till 5 p.m.

Over 10.25 lakh voters are expected to exercise their voting rights in Goa, where the polling is being held in a single-phase.

About 215 candidates are in the fray this time, out of which 74 candidates are independent and nine are women.

Voting is being be held at 1612 polling booths with around 10,644 poll personnel on duty.

Goa Chief Minister Digambar Kamat cast his vote in his constituency of Margao.

Leader of Opposition and BJP leader Manohar Parrikar, who is seeking re-election from the Panaji constituency, exercised his franchise in a booth in the city.

Parrikar expressed confidence that his party would perform exceptionally well in the Goa polls.

The Election Commission has also identified 180 critical and vulnerable polling booths in the state, which will be kept under special supervision of micro observers.

The assembly elections in Goa would be between the ruling Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) alliance and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Maharshtrawadi Gomantak Party combine.

The counting of votes will be held on March 6. (ANI)