All three candidates contesting the Toco/Sangre Grande seat have expressed confidence in securing victory.
The Progressive Empowerment Party (PEP) candidate Kevon Fernandez told Guardian Media Ltd that he was confident because people have bemoaned the history of neglect in the area.
He said, "I believe that I have a really good chance because the people have been crying out for that change."
Fernandez said the People’s National Movement (PNM) and the United National Congress (UNC) were not present to speak on behalf of and show support to the people of the constituency.
"A lot of people for too long have been suffering from absolute misrepresentation or I should say no representation at all."
He said in many areas people complained that they never saw their councillor and that they have lost faith in government. Fernandez said, "We plan to renew that faith in government.”
UNC candidate for the area Nabila Greene also expressed certainty of victory, because God was pre-eminent in her campaign. Greene declared: "We walk with God before us and then everything falls into place."
Green said that she was going to donate gifts to those who supported her campaign, "not if we win, when we win."
Although there was the element of negative publicity surrounding Greene’s campaign, she said that it would not have an effect on the day’s results and that the polls back it up.
Meanwhile, PNM candidate Roger Monroe contended that although there was also negative publicity surrounding his campaign, "the public knows the truth in Toco/Sangre Grande."
Monroe explained that he was not only "extremely confident" of victory, but when he was asked if he could secure as much as 60 per cent of votes like the ougoing MP Glenda Jennings-Smith, he said, "That and above, I’m very confident."
The PNM candidate said he was familiar with the people of the constituency for over 15 years and always supported them "inside and outside of the politics."
All three candidates said the voting process went smoothly and all of the health guidelines were implemented by the EBC and observed by voters. According to Monroe, voters were also walking with their personal hand sanitizers to protect themselves amid the current COVID-19 pandemic.
Regarding the length of time it took to vote, Fernandez indicated that although he waited 75 minutes in the line to cast his ballot, it was not a frustrating process, "because of the fact that the lines were long, it’s understandable because I met the lines out on the street, but it was a very fast-flowing process and we got through pretty quickly."