Andhra Pradesh orders repoll at 13 polling stations over rigging complaints
The State Election Commission ordered fresh voting in seven Urban Local Bodies following allegations of booth capturing and malpractices.
The State Election Commission (SEC) ordered repolling at 13 polling stations across seven Urban Local Bodies in five districts in Andhra Pradesh on Monday. According to Telangana Today, the decision followed complaints of massive rigging during the voting held on Sunday.
The repoll covers eight stations in YSR Kadapa district, two in Palnadu district, and one station each in Anantapur, Tirupati, and Prakasam districts. Specifically, the SEC ordered fresh polls for four stations in Pulivendula Municipality, three in Jammalamadugu Municipality, and one in Kadapa Municipal Corporation.
State Election Commissioner Anil Chandra Punetha stated that the election process in certain stations was vitiated, which deprived voters of their right to vote. He noted that booth capturing had occurred in Pulivendula, Jammalamadugu, and Kadapa.
YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) President and former Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy had demanded a repoll in all Pulivendula polling stations.
During a visit on Sunday, Jagan Mohan Reddy alleged that YSRCP agents were prevented from being present in 70 out of 80 stations and termed the malpractices a dark day for democracy.
The repolling process began at 7 a.m. on Monday and is scheduled to continue until 5 p.m. The SEC directed that indelible ink be applied to the left middle finger of voters during this process.
On Sunday, 60.96 per cent polling was recorded across 92 Urban Local Bodies, with 59,06,255 out of 96,89,061 voters casting their votes.