TDP, YSRCP clashes mar polling in Prakasam dist

Ongole: The election process went on smoothly in the Prakasam district except for a few instances leading to tense situation in constituencies like Parchur, Chirala, Darsi and Ongole on Thursday.

Chirala is expected to witness a lot of trouble during polling but the voters and workers of the parties showed much maturity and refrained from creating any unrest. But at Pittuvaripalem, the supporters of TDP and YSRCP clashed and pelted stones on each other. The police swung into action and disbursed the rival groups and brought the situation under control.

In Parchur constituency, a clash was reported between TDP and YSRCP groups at 88, 89 polling booths in Peda Jagarlamudi of Yaddanapudi mandal and at the polling booth in Valaparla village of Martur mandal. The TDP and YSRCP workers pelted stones and attacked each other with sticks at Swarna village in Karemchedu mandal.

A heated exchange between TDP and YSRCP took place at polling booth No 185 of Kotagadda Veedhi and at polling booth number 202 in Giddalur constituency. The members of both parties tried to attack journalists also for recording the incidents.

At Government Junior College in Darsi, women protested TDP MLA candidate Kadiri Babu Rao entering the polling booth. The women, who are waiting for some time, complained that his visit will delay the voting process and entered into an argument with him.

Babu Rao complained that a few women belonging to YSRCP caught him by the collar and the incident was a plot by the opposition party to instigate violence. The TDP and YSRCP workers fought at Tripurasundari Puram in Darsi and pelted stones after a heated argument. A similar incident occurred at Pothavaram village of Pedacherlopalle mandal in Kanigiri Assembly constituency.

At Ongole, TDP MLA candidate Damacharla Janardhana Rao and YSRCP's Balineni Srinivasa Reddy faced one another at Srinivasa Hall and entered into a verbal dual. This incident raised heat and the authorities imposed Section 144 in the town till Friday morning as a preventive measure. In another incident, the polling agents at the Kondapalli village of Markapuram constituency indulged in a war of words during polling.

After the polling is complete, they were into another argument and it led to a fight between them. Ramireddy, Balamma, Ravanamma from Goruguntalapadu and Srinivasa Reddy, Eswaraiah and Seshaiah of Kondapalli were injured in the incident.