Assembly elections: Punjab at brisk 48 per cent till 2:30 p.m., Goa touches 53 per cent in six hours

Chandigarh/Panaji (Punjab, Goa) [India],Feb 4 (ANI): With the voter turnout picking up pace as the days progresses, Punjab witnessed a voter turnout of 48 percent till 2: 30 pm, while Goa progressed at a steady pace by recording 53 per cent till 1 p.m. Polling for 40 seats is underway, where 11.10 lakh voters are going to decide the fate of 251 candidates including 19 women. South Goa's polling percentage was recorded 52 percent and North Goa's polling percentage was recorded 55 percent. In an unfortunate incident, a 78-year-old man died outside a polling booth in Panaji city. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, widely purported as the chief ministerial face of the BJP, and Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar were seen casting their votes early in the morning. Long queues were seen outside almost all the polling stations right from the morning in the state. Polling began in Punjab amid heavy security earlier today, with 1,145 candidates contesting across 117 seats. Poll for the first phase will conclude at 5 p.m. Nearly 2 crore voters will decide the fate of 1,145 candidates, including 81 women. 22, 615 polling stations have been set up, with over one lakh security personnel deployed for free and fair voting. Tight security arrangements have also been made for 100 critical polling stations and 5,500 vulnerable pockets of the state. (ANI)