LS Polls 2019: 73% Voter Turnout in AP Amid Clashes, EVM Glitches
25 constituencies in Andhra Pradesh and 17 constituencies in Telangana will cast their vote on 11 April.
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An impressive turnout of over 73 percent was recorded till 6 pm on Thursday, 11 April, in the single phase Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in Andhra Pradesh, amid stray violence involving the ruling TDP and YSRC cadres that reportedly left three people dead.
Meanwhile, an estimated 61 per cent of voters cast their ballot in Telangana without any reports of violence.
After multiple reports of EVM glitches surfaced, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) President N Chandrababu Naidu wrote to the Election Commission demanding repoll in around 150 polling stations.
The first-phase Lok Sabha constituencies include all 25 seats in Andhra Pradesh and 17 in Telangana In Andhra Pradesh, state Assembly elections to 175 seats are also being held simultaneously.
- AP and Telangana account for 42 of the 91 constituencies going for polls in the first phase
- Both states to face the Lok Sabha polls in a single phase
- This is the first general election in Telangana after its creation in 2014
Catch the live updates from constituencies voting in Maharashtra, West Bengal, Jammu & Kashmir, and the Northeast here.
YSRCP-TDP Workers Enter into Brawl in AP's Pathapatnam
YSRCP and TDP workers entered into a brawl earlier on Thursday outside a polling station in Pathapatnam of Srikakulam district in Andhra Pradesh, reported ANI.
Andhra Pradesh Lok Sabha Elections 2019 LIVE: Voter Turnout at 73% Till 6 pm
An impressive turnout of over 73 percent was recorded till 6 pm on Thursday, 11 April, in the single phase Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in Andhra Pradesh, amid stray violence involving the ruling TDP and YSRC cadres that reportedly left three people dead.
Incidents of EVM damage and stone pelting marked the high octane polling that saw a large number out of the over 3.97 crore eligible voters turning up braving the scorching summer heat.
The authorities expect the final figure likely to cross 80 percent. The state had recorded 76 per cent polling in 2014.
Andhra Pradesh Lok Sabha Elections 2019 LIVE: Voter Turnout at 66% Till 5 pm
Telangana Lok Sabha Elections 2019 LIVE: Voter Turnout at 60.57% Till 5 pm
AP CM 'Disappointed' Over EVM Glitches, Seeks Repoll in 150 Booths
Tweeting a video, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu expressed his disappointment on the multiple EVM glitches in the state.
In the video, he said, “Election Commission, which acted actively in transferring the officials, couldn't maintain EVMs and VVPATs. They've failed. You had to face troubles in the scorching heat. I'm very disappointed and I'm feeling bad for it. However, I once again appeal to all of you to cast your vote.”
Naidu demanded repoll in around 150 polling stations due to the non-functioning of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).
In a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), Naidu identified more than 150 polling booths in Andhra Pradesh and said, "I demand conduct of repoll in all the above polling stations and such other polling stations where the polling has not commenced even at 9.30 a.m. due to the failure of EVMs."
Man Carries Elderly Father in Arms to Let Him Cast His Vote in AP
A man carried his elderly father in his arms to the polling station in Andhra Pradesh’s Kakinada in East Godavari district to let him cast his vote for the state Assembly elections and the Lok Sabha Elections.
Booth Capturing, Rigging of Votes Reported in Andhra Pradesh's Chilakaluripet
Two videos have surfaced on social media which show voting booths in Andhra Pradesh’s Chilakaluripeta being captured. Reports says that 'rigging of votes' is underway here. When a local journalist tried to protest, he was pushed out by a police constable, who then shut the windows of the room where women officials were seen gathered.
Violent Clashes in Andhra Pradesh's Kurnool
One security personnel was injured amid clashes between TDP and YSRCP workers in Kurnool’s Ahobilam area on Thursday.
Andhra Pradesh Lok Sabha Elections 2019 LIVE: Voter Turnout at 55% Till 3 PM
Prashant Kishore Accused AP CM of Spreading Fake News
Sharing a screenshot of a tweet saying “Working with Jagan Reddy’s party will be a regret of a time.” JD(U) Vice President Prashant Kishor accused Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu of spreading fake news. He tweeted, “.@ncbn when you lose trust of the people and your faith in their wisdom, after abuses and lies, you stoop down to circulating fake news. Few hours left for the polling to close but it’s clear that people of AP have decided their verdict. It is time to say #ByeByeBabu.”
Fresh Clashes Break Out Between TDP-YSRCP Workers in Guntur
Fresh clashes broke out between between the workers of TDP and YSRCP at a polling station in Srinivasapuram village of Gurajala Assembly constituency in Guntur district. This comes after several reports of clashes in the same district since morning.
Telangana Lok Sabha Elections 2019 LIVE: Voter Turnout at 48.95% Till 3 pm
TDP Leader Attacked in Guntur
TDP leader Kodela Siva Prasada Rao, who is also the Assembly speaker, has been attacked at a polling booth in Sattenapalli.
Andhra Pradesh Lok Sabha Elections 2019 LIVE: Voter Turnout at 1 pm
According to PIB, the voter turnout in Andhra Pradesh stood at 41% at 1 pm.
Telangana Lok Sabha Elections 2019 LIVE: Voter Turnout at 1 PM
Telangana CM KCR Casts Vote
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and his wife cast their vote at a polling booth in Siddipet district.
YSRCP Scared to Lose, Resorting to Violence: AP CM Naidu
Reacting to the violence stemming from Andhra Pradesh’s Anantapur district, which left one TDP worker and one YSRCP worker dead, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu said condemned the deaths, stating that the YSRCP had resorted to violence “as they are afraid of losing the elections.”
TDP, YSRCP Workers Killed After Clashes Between Parties in Andhra Pradesh
A TDP worker, identified as Chinta Bhaskar Reddy, and YSRCP worker Pulla Reddy were killed near a polling booth in Anantapur’s Tadipatri constituency after clashes between the two parties.
Congress Candidate From Khammam Casts Her Vote
The Congress party’s candidate from Telangana’s Khammam constituency Renuka Choudhary cast her vote for the Lok Sabha elections. Speaking to ANI, she said: “I am hopeful that we will be able to win this race, I am very optimistic.”
Polling Time Extended to Compensate Delay: Andhra CEO
Andhra Pradesh Chief Election Commissioner Gopal Krishna Dwivedi clarified that while there will be no repolling, the time has been extended to accommodate the delay.
“There will be no re-poll in areas where polling has been delayed. Instead, polling will be allowed to continue till 9 pm or even up to 10 pm if necessary, to mitigate delay in voting due to faulty EVMs, to accommodate voters,” he said.
Telangana Lok Sabha Elections 2019: Voter Turnout at 11 am
Lok Sabha election 2019: Andhra CM Naidu Writes Letter to CEC, Seeks Repolling in Some Booths
In a letter addressed to the Chief Elections Commission, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidyu has requested repolling in booths where voting had not begun up to 9.30 am.
“It is likely that many voters who returned may not come back for voting even if polling is resumed after replacement / repair of existing EVMs. Therefore, repolling is needed in all polling stations where polling had not commenced upto 9.30am,”he wrote.
Lok Sabha election 2019: Apollo's Shobana Kamineni's Name Deleted from Voters List
Speaking to The Hindu, the Vice Executive Chairperson of Apollo Group of Hospitals Shobana Kamineni alleged that her name had been deleted from the voters list and that she was asked to return from her booth in Hyderabad.
“This is the worst day for me as an Indian citizen. I had voted from here during the state assembly elections in November, and now they are saying my vote has been deleted. Who are they trying to fool”, she said.
Lok Sabha election 2019: 362 Faulty EVMS in Andhra Pradesh
According to local reports, faulty EVM machines in Andhra Pradesh are causing delays in polling with only 6% polling being recorded in some areas.
Polling is yet to begin in some booths in Madanapalli, Tambalapalli, Tirupati, Satyavedu, Renugunta and many other areas.
TDP Workers Damage Booth in Narasaraopet
Workers from the Telugu Desam Party allegedly damaged a polling booth in Guntur district’s Narasaraopet, reported Bangalore Mirror.
Jana Sena's Pawan Kalyan Casts His Vote
Actor-turned-politician Pawan Kalyan, who is also the chief of the Jana Sena party, has cast his vote at a polling booth in Vijayawada.
Speaking to News18, Kalyan urged the Elections Commission to take note of EVMs not working in almost 10% of the booths across the state.
YSRCP, TDP Workers Capture Polling Booths: Reports
According to an ETV Telugu report, YSRCP workers and TDP workers have shut the doors of the 95th booth at Kasinayana Mandal in Andhra Pradesh's Gonthuvaripalli. The workers have reportedly reached a 80-20 consensus to rig the polls in the area.
Owaisi Casts His Vote
AIMIM Chief Assaduddin Owaisi cast his vote at a polling booth in Hyderabad. Speaking to ANI after casting his vote, he said, “I request Telangana voters to come out in large numbers. I am confident that the state's electorate will reward those parties that have worked hard for them.”
Telangana Voter Turnout Stands at 10.6% Till 9 AM
Telangana Congress President Casts Vote
Telangana PCC Chief Uttam Kumar Reddy has cast his vote in the Lok Sabha polls from the state along with his family, reported Bangalore Mirror.
BJP Candidate from Secunderabad Constituency Casts Vote
G Kishan Reddy, the BJP’s candidate from the Secunderabad Lok Sabha constituency in Telangana, also arrived with his family to cast his vote.
Voting Stalled Across Several Polling Booths in Andhra
In Andhra Pradesh, hundreds of EVMs are reportedly not working and the voting has been stalled. 300 BHEL engineers have been called in for the repairs, reported News18.
Quoting reports, Deccan Herald said almost 30% of the EVMs across the state have been rendered faulty, forcing people to return home without being able to cast their vote.
Andhra State CEO Casts His Vote, Says Glitches in About 50 Places
Andhra Pradesh State Chief Electoral Officer Gopal Krishna Dwivedi cast his vote in Tadepalli and said there were complaints about technical glitches in EVMs in about 50 places.
Technical teams were on the job to rectify the defects and enable polling, he said.
TRS MP K Kavitha Casts Vote in Nizamabad
K Kavitha, the sitting MP from Telangana’s Nizamabad, cast her vote from the constituency for the Lok Sabha election. The daughter of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, Kavitha is seeking a re-election to the parliament from a Telangana Rashtriya Samiti ticket.
"We Have Worked For Development, Now Voters Will Decide": AP CM Naidu
Speaking to News18, AP Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu said his government has worked for the development of the state, and now it was up to the voters to decide.
Debate | Why Are AP and Telangana Important for LS Polls?
Badminton Player Jawala Gutta Casts Her Vote in Telangana
Left-Handed badminton player Jawala Gutta cast her vote along with her family for the Telangana Lok Sabha elections from a polling booth in Hyderabad.
TDP MP Candidate From Vijayawada Casts His Vote
TDP MP candidate from Vijaywada, Kesineni Srinivas cast his vote at a polling booth in St. Joseph Girl's High School, Gunadala, Vijaywada.
AP CM Chandrababu Naidu Casts His Vote in Amaravati
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu cast his vote, along with his family, at a polling booth in Amaravati.
YSRCP's Jaganmohan Reddy Casts His Vote
The YSR Congress party’s founder and Chief Minister candidate YS Jagamohan Reddy arrived at a polling booth in Pulivendula along with his family to cast his vote, reported ANI.
Speaking to ANI, Reddy said: “I am very confident. Voting will go well. I am pretty sure people are looking for a change.”
AP Lok Sabha Polls LIVE: BJP Candidate For Narasaraopet Casts His Vote
State BJP President and the party’s candidate for the Narasaraopet Lok Sabha constituency Kanna Lakshminarayana cast his vote, reported The Hindu.
AP Lok Sabha Polls LIVE: Vizianagaram TDP MP Candidate Casts His Vote
Former minister and Vizianagaram TDP MP candidate Ashok Gajapathi Raju cast his vote along with his daughter who is the party’s candidate for the Vizianagaram state assembly, reported The Hindu.
'I Urge All To Cast Their Vote': PM Modi on Twitter
Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter to urge citizens, particularly first time voters, whose constituencies are polling in the first phase to come out and cast their ballot.
AP Lok Sabha Elections 2019 LIVE: Voters Line Up to Cast Their Ballot in Visakhapatnam
Citizens line up outside a polling booth in Andhra Pradesh’s Visakhapatnam to cast their vote in the Lok Sabha elections.
AP Lok Sabha Elections 2019 LIVE: Voters Queue Up Outside Polling Booths
Voters line up outside polling booth number 134 in Pulivendula, as voting gets underway across 25 Lok Sabha constituencies in Andhra Pradesh.
Voting Begins in 42 Constituencies Across AP and Telangana
Voting begins in 25 constituencies of Andhra Pradesh and 17 constituencies in Telangana.
Varied Timings for Polling in Telangana
Polling in Telangana is to be held from 7 am to 4 pm in 13 Left Wing Extremism (LWE)-effected Assembly segments under five Parliamentary constituencies, and from 7 am to 5 pm in all other Lok Sabha constituencies.
Meanwhile, Nizamabad Lok Sabha constituency is a special case in this parliamentary election as 185 candidates, including more than 170 farmers, are in the fray.
Polling in Nizamabad is expected to begin at 8 am and end at 6 pm as mock polling is expected to take more time compared to other constituencies in view of the large number of candidates.
AP to Go For Polls In Single Phase
All 25 constituencies in Andhra Pradesh will go for polling in the first phase. According to an NDTV report, voters in the state will choose from a pool of 319 candidates across the 25 constituencies, with the main parties in the fray being the BJP, Congress, TDP, YSRCP and the Jana Sena.
A total of 45,920 polling centres have been set up in the state to ensure a smooth electoral process, the report added.
All of Telangana's 17 Seats in the Fray
The country's youngest state will also see all of its 17 seats enter the fray on 11 April. Over 443 candidates are contesting across the 17 constituencies, with the main parties being the BJP, Congress, TRS and the AIMIM.
Around 34603 polling centers have been set up in the state for this purpose, reported NDTV.
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Published: 11 Apr 2019,06:15 AM IST