Kadapa (Andhra Pradesh) [India], November 1 (ANI): YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) Kadapa MP YS Avinash Reddy on Sunday alleged violence and polling irregularities at several booths during the ongoing urban local body elections in Andhra Pradesh, accusing Telugu Desam Party (TDP) agents of casting votes on behalf of common voters.
“The polling for the municipal elections began this morning. There is violence at every polling booth. The TDP agents are taking away the slip, sending the voters outside and casting the votes of the common voters,” he said.
Meanwhile, YSRCP polling agent Sunitha Pulivendula alleged that their agents were facing resistance in entering polling booths and said she was attempting to ensure voters could exercise their franchise peacefully.
“Our agents can’t go inside. So I’m standing here to ensure that our people are let inside. There’s a lot of resistance. We’ll see how it goes. I don’t want any violence. I’ve been counseling our people to not shout back or get agitated. I’m trying to peacefully send people inside,” she said.
Polling is underway across 92 urban local bodies in Andhra Pradesh, comprising 13 municipal corporations and 79 municipalities and nagar panchayats. Voting began at 7 am and is scheduled to continue until 5 pm.
The elections are being viewed as a significant political test for the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, and the opposition YSRCP following the 2024 Assembly elections.
Polling is taking place in major urban centres, including Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Guntur, Kadapa and Vizianagaram. Several mayoral candidates and political leaders, including YSRCP’s Varudu Kalyani in Visakhapatnam and NDA-backed Vangaveeti Radhakrishna in Vijayawada, also exercised their franchise and appealed to people to vote.
Over 36,000 police personnel have been deployed across 4,372 polling locations to ensure peaceful polling. Election authorities have also made security and surveillance arrangements across the polling centres.
Counting of votes and declaration of results are scheduled for November 3, while repolling, if required, will be held on November 2. (ANI)
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