45% voting recorded in Goa (3rd Lead) (1 p.m.)

After a sluggish start, voting picked up in Goa with a 45.11 per cent voter turnout recorded in the two Lok Sabha constituencies till 1 p.m on Tuesday.

The two parliamentary seats -- North Goa and South Goa -- recorded 46.26 per cent and 43.97 per cent polling, respectively.

Voting is on at 1,652 polling booths across Goa since 7 a.m.

In the Shiroda, Mapusa and Mandrem Assembly segments, the polling percentage by 1 p.m. was recorded at 45.86, 47.19 and 45.95 per cent, respectively.

All electronic voting machines (EVMs) at a polling station in Cuncolim Assembly constituency in South Goa were replaced due to technical glitches, Goa Chief Electoral Officer Kunal said.

Some of the candidates in the fray, including four-time BJP MP and Union Minister of State for AYUSH Shripad Naik, state Congress President Girish Chodankar, sitting BJP MP Narendra Sawaikar and former Chief Minister Francisco Sardinha, cast their votes.

--IANS

maya/pg/bg