Voting for East Rayalaseema Graduates and Teachers MLC election started peacefully in Prakasam Dist

Ongole: The voting process for the East Rayalaseema Graduates and Teachers MLC election started in the Prakasam district peacefully.

The returning officer of the East Rayalaseema graduates and teachers MLCs election announced that a total of 381181 graduate voters, including 245866 men, 135284 women and 31 others, while 27694 teachers' voters including 16825 men and 10869 women registered for the election in Erstwhile Prakasam, Nellore and Chittoor districts. The Prakasam district administration made arrangements at the 138 polling stations for the electors of graduates and teachers MLCs. Special focus is put on 15 sensitive and 9 hyper-sensitive polling stations. Overall, the police department deployed about 1500 personnel, including 3 additional SPs, 8 DSPs, 15 inspectors and 68 sub-inspectors to see the voters exercise their franchise in a peaceful, and free environment. The department already created awareness among the voters that they won't allow any electronic gadgets, including mobile phones, iPad, tabs, matchboxes, ink bottles, chemicals and even water bottles into the polling booth, ad advised them to not carry the articles to polling stations. The administration already appointed engineering students to do webcasting of the polling at each booth, and connect it to the command control room for easy monitoring by the officials.

The voters in Prakasam made beelines at the polling booths before the start of the polling, as the day temperatures are high in the region for the last few days. The polling booths in Ongole, Kanigiri, Giddalur, Darsi, Kondapi, Kandukur, Parchur, Chirala, Addanki, Santhanuthalapadu, Markapuram and Yerragondapaem assembly constituencies are going on smoothly as per the information from the officials. The volunteers, home guards and the constables are helping the disabled and old aged people to reach the polling booths, they added.

Meanwhile, the TDP graduates MLC candidate Kancharla Srikanth exercised his vote at Kandukur, while the Ongole MP Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy is expected to use his franchise at St Theresa High School in Ongole around 11.00 AM.