Booth capturing, lathi charge in AP panchayat polls

Tirupati, July 29 (UNI) Tension prevailed at three places in Tirupati Revenue Division today following a clash between rivals group during the first phase of polls for Grama Panchayat and ward members.

In Pichaturu Mandal at Adivikoyampedu, the Congress Mandal President Bhaskar Reddy and his supporters snatched the ballot boxes from the polling booth and poured ink into the boxes.

Police resorted to a minor lathi charge to disperse the clashing group and registered a case against the mandal president.

The District Collector has ordered a repolling at Adivikoyampedu tomorrow.

In another incident, Congress supporters poured ink into ballot boxes at Rachaviripalli resulting in delaying the polling for some time.

At Avilala police resorted to lathicharge following a clash between activists of the Congress and TDP.

In Yellammadam in Renigunta mandal, where 83 per cent polling was recorded within three hours, many voters belonging to Kothapalam village staged a protest alleging that the polling officials and police were jointly supporting one side voting.

The protesters also staged a dharna on the Tirupati-Chennai National Highway against the polling officials attitude.

They alleged that the polling officials were not marking ink on the finger of the voters, who had cast their votes.

As many as 4,64,352 voters exercised their franchise in the division.

The highest percentage of polling was reported from Yerupedu with 92 per cent and the lowest of 71 per cent was reported from Renigunta mandal, the District Panchayat Officer Shaik Babu said.

The result will be announced tonight, he added.

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