EC announces repoll in 54 booths

Hyderabad, June 29 (UNI) The Andhra Pradesh Election Commission today announced repoll in 54 polling stations across 10 districts where electoral malpractices, including booth capturing, snatching of ballot papers and ballot boxes occurred during the first phase of polls to Panchayati Raj Bodies yesterday.

As stray incidents of violence and electoral malpractices like pouring of ink or water into ballot boxes and tearing ballot papers were reported by election authorities from these districts, the EC decided to hold repoll in 10 polling stations each in the districts of Nalgonda and Anantapur tomorrow, EC Secretary G N Rao told reporters here.

Repoll would be held in seven stations in Krishna, six each in Kadapa and East Godavari, five in Prakasam, four in Adilabad, three in Kurnool, two in Vizianagaram, he said, adding while Medak district was incident-free, a repoll was necessitated in Karimnagar district where a poll official himself had poured ink into the ballot box.

Violence was however relatively less compared to 2001 Panchayat polls when repoll was ordered in 103 polling stations, he added.

Poll percentage of 70.94 was registered in the first phase of poll in the 11 districts with Krishna having a high of 75 per cent and Karimnagar 66 per cent. The EC had asked District Collectors and Superintendents of Police to launch prosecution in poll violations.

A Government officer was placed under suspension in Mahboobnagar district as he was found campaigning for his wife.

On elected representatives functioning as polling agents as reported in a section of the press, he explained that reports had been sought from district collectors on such incidents.

Arrangements were being on full swing for the second phase of polls on July two in the remaining 11 districts involving an electorate of 1.91 crore, to decide the fate of 1846 candidates for 515 ZPTC seats and 21414 contestants for 7676 MPTC seats.

As many as 14,144 anti-social elements were taken into preventive custody ahead of the second phase of polls in 1532 naxalite-infested villages, 3697 sensitive and 2208 hypersensitive villages. Elaborate security arrangements with 261 platoons of Armed Reserve Force and 81 platoons of Andhra Pradesh Special Police were arranged.

Printing ballot papers was over and they were being moved to 24,908 polling booths, he added.

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