Amaravati, Feb 27 (IANS) More than 65 per cent polling was recorded for the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council election from the Krishna-Guntur graduates’ constituency while over 63 voters cast their votes in the East-West Godavari graduates’ constituency.
According to Chief Electoral Officer Vivek Yadav, 91.82 per cent voter turnout was recorded in the Srikakulam-Vizianagaram-Visakhapatnam teachers’ constituency.
The polling, which began at 8 a.m. in all three constituencies, concluded at 4 p.m. The CEO said the polling was smooth and peaceful. Counting of votes will be taken up on March 3.
The voting percentage in the Krishna-Guntur graduates’ constituency was 65.58 while it was 63.28 in the East-West Godavari graduates’ constituency.
A total of 939 polling stations, including 83 auxiliary polling stations, were set up in the two graduates’ constituencies, and 123 in the teachers’ constituency. The Election Commission deployed 6,287 polling staff and 8,515 police personnel for the smooth and peaceful conduct of the polling.
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and his son and IT Minister Nara Lokesh cast their votes in the Krishna-Guntur graduates’ constituency. They exercised their franchise at the Zilla Parishad High School at Undavalli in Guntur district.
Union Minister for State for Rural Development and Communication Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar and Civil Supplies Minister Nadendla Manohar cast their votes in Tenali.
A total of 25 candidates were in the fray in Krishna and Guntur graduates’ constituency but the main contest was between the Telugu Desam Party’s Alapati Rajendra Prasad, a former MLA, and K.S. Lakshman Rao of the Progressive Democratic Front.
The TDP’s alliance partners, the Jana Sena and the BJP, had also declared their support to Rajendra Prasad.
The constituency has little over 3.47 lakh voters, including 2.06 lakh males, 1.4 lakh females, and 45 transgenders. The voters exercised their franchise at 483 polling booths spread across Eluru, Krishna, NTR, Guntur, Bapatla and Palnadu districts.
A total of 35 candidates were in the fray for the East and West Godavari graduates’ constituency, where 3,14,984 graduates were eligible to cast their votes.
NDA-supported P. Rajasekhar is contesting from the East-West Godavari graduates’ constituency.
Ten candidates were in the fray for the Srikakulam-Vizianagaram-Visakhapatnam teachers’ constituency. A total of 22,493 teachers were eligible to cast votes.
The Andhra Pradesh Teachers’ Federation (APTF) has fielded Pakalapati Raghu Varma from this constituency. The TDP has declared its support to him. G Srinivasulu Naidu of Panchayat Raj Teachers’ Union and Vijaya Gouri of Progressive Democratic Front are among the other candidates.
YSR Congress Party has not fielded its candidates for the MLC elections.
–IANS
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