Rajampet registers 67.27% polling

Kadapa: Barring some stray incidents, elections held for Rajampet Municipality, Kamalapuram town panchayat and 1st ward for Badvel Municipality was by and large peaceful. According to the official sources, 22,204 votes against total 33,009 (67.27 %) in Rajampet Municipality, 11,955 votes against total 15,697 (76.16%) in Kamalapuram town panchayat and 1,133 votes against 1,660 (68.25) Badvel Municipality(only one ward) has been registered by 5 pm after conclusion of voting.

In the beginning, polling started in dull note in the first two hours in all municipalities as the electorate especially women voters went to temples for performing pujas on the occasion second Monday of Karthika Masam. Later voting picked up from 10 am. In overall 70.77 percent voting registered in total 50 wards in Rajampet, Badvel, Kamalapuram municipalities.

Tension prevailed in Kamalapuram town following detaining of two outsiders by TDP men, who were allegedly responsible for organising bogus votes. They handed over the duo to the police. On the occasion, Kamalapuram TDP in-charge sons P Lakshmi Reddy and P Chaitanya Reddy entered heated argument with the police for their failure in initiating action against the outsiders even they caught them red hand with bogus voter slips. Police arrested TDP men on the charges of creating law and order problem at the polling station.

TDP in-charge P Narasimha Reddy alleged that it is unfortunate that police acted like functionaries of ruling party by arresting his party leaders instead of arresting outsiders though they were tried to exercise franchise. Kamalapuram MLA P Ravindranath Reddy, who came to the polling station, said that his party has no need to bring outsiders as people of Kamapapuram voluntarily coming to the polling station to exercise their franchise in favour of YSRCP for its good deeds done during two-and-a-half-year rule.

Meanwhile Superintendent of Police K K N Anburajan, who inspected electoral process at Saraswathi Junior College in Kamalapuram town, told the media persons polling was concluded in a peaceful manner and no untoward incidents reported so far. District Collector V Vijaya Rama Raju said the polling was concluded peacefully in all municipalities. He thanked the electorate and leaders of parties in extending support for smooth conduct of election.