MLC election polling: YSRCP, TDP workers lock horns

Ongole (Prakasam district): YSR Congress Party and Telugu Desam Party in Prakasam district tried to show their dominance in some places of their influence, while thousands of educated voters exercised their franchise for their favourite candidate in the East Rayalaseema Graduates and Teachers MLC elections held on Monday.

In Prakasam district, there are 82,225 graduate voters, including 55,703 men, 26,517 women and five third gender people, along with 5,789 teacher voters including 3,691 men and 2,098 women. The district administration arranged 98 polling stations for graduates and 40 polling stations for teachers to exercise their vote for the MLC election.

Polling for the MLC election started in Prakasam district peacefully at 8 am and gained momentum by 10 am. By 12 noon, a total of 23,535 graduate voters, about 28.62 per cent, and 3,187 teachers voters, about 55.05 per cent of the total voters turned out and cast their vote.

The officials including district Collector AS Dinesh Kumar, Joint Collector M Abhishikt Kishore, SP Malika Garg, Additional SP K Nageswara Rao and Ongole DSP U Nagaraju inspected polling stations in Ongole, while Markapur Sub-Collector Sethu Madhavan inspected polling stations in Markapur, Giddalur and other Assembly constituencies. Bapatla SP Vakul Jindal inspected polling stations in Chirala, Parchur and Addanki constituencies in the erstwhile Prakasam district.

Meanwhile, political workers started to canvass in support of their party candidates in many polling stations and locked horns with their opposition party workers.

In Ongole, YSRCP and TDP cadre created a ruckus near polling stations at St Theresa High School and CSR Sarma College in Ongole. The visits of local MLA Balineni Srinivasa Reddy and former MLA Damacharla Janardhana Rao had ignited verbal fight between their party cadres. Activists from both the parties exchanged heated words, challenged one another and attacked physically, even though the police personnel tried to pacify them.

TDP leaders and activists opposed Darsi MLA Maddisetty Venugopal and his brother Sridhar at Mundlamur, and Markapuram MLA Kundurru Nagarjuna Reddy at Podili from entering the polling stations, while TDP in-charge at Kanigiri Dr Mukku Ugranarasimha Reddy argued with the police to restrain YSRCP leaders from campaigning near polling stations.

TDP graduates MLC candidate Kancharla Srikanth and local MLA Manugunta Mahidhar Reddy exercised their votes in Kandukur, while Municipal Minister Dr Audimulapu Suresh voted at a polling booth in Yerragondapalem. Graduates MLC independent candidate Meegada Venkateswara Reddy inked his finger at Kanigiri, as Parchur MLA Yeluri Sambasiva Rao used his vote at Martur.

Collector Dinesh Kumar and JC Abhishikt Madhav voted at CSR Sarma College while MP Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy used his vote at St Theresa High School in Ongole. By 4 pm, a total of 56,928 graduate voters, i.e., about 69.23 per cent, and 5,291 of teachers voters, i.e., 91.40 per cent of the total voters turned out and utilised their right to vote.