North Andhra Graduates MLC poll begins on a peaceful note

“The overall polling per centage, in the three districts, in the first two hours of polling was 9.95%,” according to officials.

Polling for the Legislative Council of Uttarandhra Graduates Constituency comprising districts such as Srikakulam, Viziangaram and Visakhapatnam began on a peaceful note with no untoward incidents from anywhere in the first two hours of polling on March 13.

The polling began on a dull note with hardly any voters at many polling stations in the city at 8 a.m. However, some of the polling stations such as the one at AU College of Engineering (AUCE) on Andhra University campus and at Dr. VS Krishna Government College witnessed long queues in the first hour itself.

As many as 100 voters exercised their franchise at Polling Station (PS) no. 233, which has total voters of 1,254, at Dr. VS Krishna Government College in the first one-and-a-half hour. The main road outside the college campus witnessed a traffic jam for a short time as the major political parties pitched tents beside the road and there was heavy movement of vehicular traffic. However, the police cleared the jam and ensured free flow on traffic.

Returning Officer and District Collector A. Mallikarjuna supervised the polling trend in the three district from the Control Room at the Collectorate. Later, he inspected some of the polling stations in the limits of Visakhapatnam Urban on Monday morning.

The overall polling per centage, in the three districts, in the first two hours of polling was 9.95%, according to officials.

TDP candidate Vepada Chiranjeevi cast his vote at the PS at AUCE by 8.30 a.m. BJP MP G. V. L. Narasimha Rao and his wife voted at the PS at Girijan Bhavan PS at M.V.P. Colony early in the morning. Speaking to media persons, Mr. Rao said that he would settle down in the city and added that he would also exercise his franchise for the Assembly and Lok Sabha polls from Visakhapatnam.

Mayor G. Hari Venkata Kumari exercised her franchise at the ZP High School at Thotagaruvu. BJP candidate P. V. N. Madhav, who exercised his franchise at AU High School, expressed confidence of retaining his MLC seat. “The development work initiated by the Modi government in North Andhra would ensure his success,” he felt.