While the YSRCP has won five segments unopposed, the elections for nine more are to be held on Monday, 13 March.
Polling was held for three graduates' segments, two teachers’ seats, and four local-body segments. (Creative Commons)
Andhra Pradesh is all geared up for polling to nine Legislative Council segments under three different categories on Monday, 13 March, and the campaigning by the political parties has concluded.
Polling will be held for three graduates’ segments, two teachers’ seats, and four local-body segments.
While the election authorities issued a schedule for 14 council seats, the election to five under the local-body quota — Anantapur, Kadapa, Chittoor, Nellore, and East Godavari — has already been declared unanimous.
Candidates of the YSRCP — which is currently in power in Andhra Pradesh — won these five seats.
They are S Mangamma from Anantapur, Ponnapureddy Ramasubba Reddy from Kadapa, Sipayi Subrahmanyam in Chittoor, Meriga Murali in Nellore, and Kudipudi Suryanarayana Rao from East Godavari.
Now, polling will take place for the remaining seats.
All eyes are on these elections — especially the three graduates’ and two teachers’ constituencies — on Monday, as the outcome might indicate the mood of the educated voters in Andhra Pradesh.
The Andhra Pradesh MLC polls are gaining importance as they are being held just 14 months ahead of the 2024 general elections in the state.
The main opposition — the TDP — tied up with the Left parties backed by the Progressive Democratic Front (PDF) and accused the ruling YSRCP of using fake and bogus voters to win the election.
The YSRCP, meanwhile, was confident of winning all the MLC seats due to the “good work” done by the government.
Polling will take place from 8 am to 4 pm, and the poll authorities have said all arrangements are in place.
The government has already declared a holiday for government staff in the 11 districts where the polling will take place.
Polling will be held for graduates’ constituencies of Srikakulam-Vizianagaram-Visakhapatnam (North Andhra), Kadapa-Kurnool-Anantapur (East Rayalaseema), and Prakasam-Nellore-Chittoor (West Rayalaseema).
The Kadapa-Anantapur-Kurnool and Prakasam-Nellore-Chittoor teachers’ constituencies will also go for polls.
Local-body segments — one each in the Kurnool and Srikakulam districts and two in the West Godavari district — will also see voting on Monday.
The counting of the votes will take place on 16 March.
Seetamraju Sudhakar, Pernati Syma Prasad Reddy, and Vennapusa Ravindranath Reddy are the YSRCP candidates from the graduates’ constituencies of North Andhra, East Rayalaseema, and West Rayalaseema segments, respectively.
Parvatareddy Chandrasekhara Reddy and MV Ramachandra Reddy are contesting as party-supported candidates from the teachers’ constituencies of East Rayalaseema and West Rayalaseema, respectively.
From the TDP, Kancharla Srikanth is in the fray in East Rayalaseema, Bhumireddy Ramgopal Reddy in West Rayalaseema, and V Chiranjeevi Rao in North Coastal Andhra.
Sannareddy Dayakar Reddy, Nagaruru Raghavendra, and PVN Madhav are the BJP candidates for the graduates’ constituencies of North Andhra, East Rayalaseema and West Rayalaseema, respectively.
TDP supremo Nara Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday made it clear that his party had an alliance with the PDF in the MLC polls.
The announcement was seen as a move to avoid the division of the anti-incumbency votes.
In an open letter to voters in these elections, Naidu said he felt that ever since the YSRCP came to power in the state, democracy had been continuously subjected to a virtual onslaught.
“We have experienced larges-cale irregularities by the YSRCP in the local-body polls held two years ago. The candidates from the Opposition parties were not allowed to even file their nominations. That is how the ruling party misused its power,” he said.
It had become a habit for this government to resort to irregularities in elections and in the ongoing polls, Naidu said.
“Thus, I want the people and the voters in these elections to act sensibly and with awareness to teach a fitting lesson to the YSRCP. We have witnessed how bogus votes were polled in the Tirupati bypoll and now the shameless YSRCP again wants to go in the same path,” he said.
Naidu also claimed that several voters who enrolled with the poll pane, admitted that they were not graduates when called over the phone
“Around 7 lakh such voters were enrolled in Tirupati city alone, while in the number was 5 lakh in North Andhra,” he said.
Stating that the TDP and other Opposition parties had already complained to the Election Commission with regard to bogus votes, Naidu called upon the voters to cast their ballot wisely and teach a lesson to the YSRCP.
He also said that the second-choice vote should be cast with caution for only the TDP or the PDF candidates.
Apr 23, 2024
Apr 23, 2024
Apr 23, 2024
Apr 23, 2024
Apr 23, 2024
