MLC polls peacefully held in Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli

Visakhapatnam: MLC polling was held peacefully in Visakhapatnam and Anakapalli without any untoward incidents on Monday.

By 4 pm, Visakhapatnam registered 53.62 voting percentage, while Anakapalli recorded a percentage of 54.20. The overall percentage registered in Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Manyam, Alluri Sitarama Raju, Visakhapatnam and Anakapalli turned out to be 59.77 percent by 4 pm.

The polling booths remained open until all the voters waiting in the queue were allowed to cast their votes.

MLC candidates from North Andhra visited the polling booths and exercised their franchise in Visakhapatnam.

TDP candidate V Chiranjeevi Rao cast his vote at a polling booth located in Andhra University Engineering College main block. At Andhra University High School building, JSP and BJP alliance candidate PVN Madhav exercised his franchise. YSRCP candidate Seethamraju Sudhakar visited MVDM School at Dandu Bazar to exercise his franchise.

PDF candidate K Rama Prabha exercised her franchise at Andhra University Engineering College.

Meanwhile, Rajya Sabha member GVL Narasimha Rao, his wife and north constituency MLA Ganta Srinivasa Rao cast their votes at polling booth number 225 set up at Girijan Bhavan in the city.

District Collector and Election Officer A Mallikarjuna and Police Commissioner Ch Srikanth inspected various polling centres in the district. Also, Anakapalli District Collector Ravi Subhash Pattanshetti and SP Gowthami Sali visited various centres and ensured smooth conduct of the polling. As a part of restrictions imposed, cell phones, slips and pens were not allowed inside the polling booths. Voter slips were torn and replaced with slips by the staff at various polling stations. But, many voters reached the polling booths with cell phones as they were not aware about it.

They said that they brought them without their knowledge. They told the cops that they would switch them off or put them in a silent mode, but the police did not agree.

As a result, activists from various parties received the mobile phones from the voters and returned them after the completion of voting.

As per the instructions given by city Police Commissioner Ch Srikanth, the police officers and staff assisted the elderly, disabled and sick people who came to the polling stations with much difficulty to vote.

Although the polling booths witnessed dull participation in the initial hours, the number of voters queuing up at the stations increased later.