A.P. civic polls largely peaceful; Jagan demands repoll in Pulivendula after clashes

Voters wait in a queue outside Polling Station 2 in Ward No. 55 at Rajarajeswari Peta in Vijayawada, where polling began at 9 a.m. following a delay caused by an error in the printing of election symbols allotted to two candidates.

Elections to 13 municipal corporations and 79 municipalities and nagar panchayats in Andhra Pradesh ended at 5 p.m. on Sunday without major law and order problems, barring incidents of stone-pelting by cadres of the TDP and the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) and the torching of several vehicles in Pulivendula.

Independent candidate A.B. Venkateswara Rao stages a protest at Polling Station No. 73 in New RR Peta, Vijayawada, on Sunday, demanding a repoll at the booth.

The overall polling percentage across the urban local bodies stood at 48.03 at 3 p.m., according to information furnished by the State Election Commission (SEC), compared with 63.30 in the 2021 elections.

Among the 13 municipal corporations that went to polls, Machilipatnam recorded the highest polling percentage at 55.10, while Greater Visakhapatnam registered the lowest at 39.72.

YSRCP president and former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy and Kadapa MP Y.S. Avinash Reddy staged a protest in Pulivendula over alleged electoral malpractices and the prevention of YSRCP agents from entering several polling stations.

The SEC extended polling by two-and-a-half hours, until 7.30 p.m., in Ward No. 55 of the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation to rectify an error in the printing of election symbols allotted to two candidates.

In Pulivendula, Mr. Jagan demanded a repoll across the municipality, alleging that election authorities had turned a blind eye to violations that undermined the electoral process. He left without casting his vote.

Reacting to Mr. Jagan’s demand at a press conference in Vijayawada, State Election Commissioner Anil Chandra Punetha said he had sought a report from the District Collector. A decision on repolling would be taken based on formal requests from the Collector or the Superintendent of Police, supported by evidence, he said.

Meanwhile, mild tension prevailed when Mr. Jagan was on his way to the Returning Officer’s office in Pulivendula, as Sk. Dastagiri, an accused in the murder of former MP Y.S. Vivekananda Reddy, reportedly confronted the YSRCP chief over issues he had faced.

Sporadic incidents were also reported from some other places in the Rayalaseema and Palnadu regions. The respective District Collectors and District Election Authorities were inquiring into them.

Mr. Punetha told the media that he had spoken to the Collectors of Nandyal, Kadapa, Palnadu, Markapuram, Nellore, Prakasam, Tirupati, Chittoor, Anantapur, Kurnool, Annamayya and Sri Sathya Sai districts in the evening. Polling was by and large peaceful, he said.

He added that the incidents reported from Palnadu and Anantapur districts and Pulivendula were being investigated. A decision on whether repolling was necessary would be taken after examining field reports, as the Commission’s orders had to withstand judicial scrutiny.

Responding to questions on the neutrality of officials deployed for election duty, Mr. Punetha said the Commission had to manage the elections with the manpower and resources available to it. Unlike the Election Commission of India, it did not have the luxury of deploying external observers, he indicated.

The Police Department had registered 275 FIRs in connection with 40 incidents. Repolling, if required, would be held on November 2, he added.