ONGOLE: Setting all speculations aside, the TDP- BJP-JSP alliance achieved a stupendous victory in the recently concluded general elections. However, two constituencies in Prakasam district, including the Yerragondapalem (SC) Assembly seat, continued to be the bastion of YSRC.
Often referred to as ‘Pulivendula of Prakasam’, the Yerragondapalem (Y Palem) (SC) Assembly constituency was contested by YSRC candidate Tatiparthi Chandrasekhar, a political novice and a resident of Singarayakonda mandal. In his debut elections, he comfortably secured 5,200 majority of votes against his nearest rival TDP candidate Guduru Erixion Babu. During the fourth round of the counting process, one of the EVMs belonging to polling station no-56 failed to function due to a technical error. In the ninth round, another EVM from P Anna Samudram village (PS No-765) also failed to function.
On the directions from higher officials, the malfunctioning EVMs were set aside and the counting process resumed. In the end, the YSRC candidate secured a 5,477 majority.
However, after the TDP counting agents demanded for counting the votes of two failed EVMs, the Returning Officer (RO) contacted the Election Commission (EC) officials and was directed that if a candidate’s majority votes are higher than the uncounted EVM’s total votes, then, that result will be declared in favour of the majority votes and accordingly the RO conveyed the same to the TDP candidate. The TDP candidate got majority postal ballot votes, and after counting thoroughly, the RO finally declared that the YSRC won the seat