Re-voting Underway at 13 Polling Stations in Andhra Pradeshs Urban Local Bodies
Re-voting has commenced at 13 polling stations in Andhra Pradesh due to allegations of fraud during the initial voting.
Amaravati, November 2 (Daily Kiran) : Voting is taking place again at 13 polling stations across seven urban local bodies in Andhra Pradesh on November 2, following widespread allegations of electoral fraud during the initial voting. The State Election Commission (SEC) ordered the re-vote after receiving numerous complaints regarding the integrity of the process on Sunday.
In YSR Kadapa district, re-voting is occurring at eight polling stations, while two stations in Palnadu district and one each in Anantapur, Tirupati, and Prakasam districts are also participating. The affected polling centers include four in Pulivendula Municipality, three in Jamalamadugu Municipality, and one in Kadapa Municipal Corporation.
To ensure a peaceful and fair voting process, strict security measures have been implemented. Anil Chandra Punetha, the State Election Commissioner, ordered re-voting at four polling stations in Pulivendula Municipality where booth capturing was reported. He noted that the election process was severely compromised, preventing voters from exercising their rights.
In light of these circumstances, the SEC invoked powers under Article 243A of the Indian Constitution and Section 343(2)(a) of the Andhra Pradesh Municipalities Act, 1965, to annul the elections at four polling stations and mandated fresh elections for the chairperson and ward member positions.
Voting commenced at 7 a.m. and will continue until 5 p.m. The SEC has instructed that indelible ink will be applied to the middle finger of voters’ left hands during the re-vote.
YSR Congress Party President and former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy called for re-voting at all polling stations in his hometown of Pulivendula. During his visit on Sunday, he claimed that agents from his party were either denied entry or expelled from 70 out of 80 polling stations. He described the chaos during the voting as a dark day for democracy.
The SEC also ordered re-voting at one polling station in Kadapa Municipal Corporation and three polling stations in Jamalamadugu Municipality, where booth capturing incidents were reported.
By 11 a.m. on Monday, voter turnout at all 13 polling stations reached 23.62%. According to the State Election Commission, the initial voting on Sunday saw a turnout of 60.96% across 92 urban local bodies, with 59,06,255 out of 96,89,061 registered voters casting their ballots. This voting was for ward members of all state urban local bodies, mayors of 13 municipal corporations, and chairpersons of 70 municipalities.
