KADAPA: Voting to the Badvel Assembly Constituency in Kadapa district is going on peacefully with a large number of voters lining up at the polling centres. By 11 am, 20.89 per cent of the electorate cast their vote, election officials said.
Polling is being held under a tight security blanket with 15 companies of central paramilitary forces and a posse of 3,000 police personnel deployed to ensure peaceful polling. Chief Electoral Officer K Vijayanand said mock polling was held before the polling commenced and it was found that there was a technical snag in three EVMs and were replaced immediately.
The bypoll was necessitated following the demise of sitting YSRC MLA Dr G Venkatasubbaiah due to illness. The YSRC fielded Venkatasubbaiah's widow Dr Sudha while the TDP and Jana Sena Party backed out from contesting their candidate. The BJP fielded a young leader P Suresh. While the YSRCP is eyeing a victory margin of more than one lakh votes, the BJP, which polled less than NOTA in 2019 elections, is trying to get a foothold in the segment.