Kovalam lends UDF soothing breeze amid headwinds
The Hindu
M. Vincent becomes lone Opposition MLA in district
Kovalam became the sole refuge for the UDF in the capital district when the front’s M. Vincent bucked a popular wave to retain the Assembly seat on Sunday. Despite facing veteran Janata Dal (Secular) leader Neelalohithadasan Nadar, Mr. Vincent garnered 74,868 votes to win by a margin of 11,562 votes. Dr. Nadar, who has represented the region five times, polled 63,306 votes, while the NDA candidate Vishnupuram Chandrasekharan secured 18,664. Mr. Vincent had become legislator for the first time when he defeated the then incumbent MLA and Dr. Nadar’s wife Jameela Prakasam in the 2016 Assembly elections by 2,615 votes.The election authorities are gearing up for the counting of votes cast in the simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh, scheduled to be held on June 4. The Collectors and Election Officers of Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli and Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) districts said on May 23 (Thursday) that their teams were ready for the counting of votes.
Responding to the prolonged water scarcity, the residents of the area took to the streets in protest on Wednesday. The protest, which drew attention to their plight, stopped only after the intervention of the police. It was not until 1.30 p.m. that a 4000-litre tanker was finally delivered by BWSSB, providing relief to the water-starved residents.