VIJAYAWADA: Repolling will be held at five centres in Chandragiri Assembly constituency on May 19, the seventh and last phase of general elections. Following complaints of electoral malpractices at the five polling centres, the Election Commission of India (ECI) ordered repolling.
Alleging electoral malpractices in the polling held on April 11 in Chandragiri Assembly segment of Chittoor (SC) Lok Sabha constituency, the YSRC demanded repolling at five centres. The TDP also demanded that repolling be held at 10 centres in the segment. After looking into the representations made by both the ruling TDP and opposition YSRC, the ECI on Wednesday ordered repolling at five centres, declaring the polling held at these centres on April 11 void under the Representation of People Act.
Repolling will be held at NR Kammapalli, Kothakandriga, Kammapalli and Venkatramapuram in Ramachandrapuram and Pulivarthipalli in Pakala mandals from 7 am to 6 pm on May 19.
Sitting MLA Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy of YSRC and TDP candidate Pulivarthi Nani are locked in a keen contest for Chandragiri seat.Bhaskar Reddy lodged a complaint with the Election Commission alleging that voters belonging to a particular community were not allowed to cast their vote by the TDP during polling on April 11.
Based on the report submitted by the Chittoor district collector after probing into complaints of electoral malpractices, the CEO recommended that repoll be conducted at the five centres.The TDP, however, cried foul over the decision of ECI. TDP State president K Kala Venkata Rao, who met Additional Chief Electoral Officer Sujata Sharma, objected to the conduct of repoll based on YSRC’s complaint. “The YSRC lodged the complaint with the ECI 24 days after the election. Our agents had complained about irregularities at two centres in Chandragiri on the polling day itself. The ECI should also act on our complaints,” Venkata Rao said, while speaking to newsmen after meeting the Additional CEO.
Pulivarthipalli, where repolling will be held on Sunday, is the native village of TDP candidate Nani. The other four centres where repolling will be held, are also said to be TDP strongholds.The ECI asked the CEO to give wide publicity to repolling to enable people of the five villages to cast their vote on May 19.
Incidentally, repolling is being held in the State for the second time. Repolling was held at five polling centres in Guntur, Prasakam and Nellore districts on May 6.