TIRUPATI: Chief Election Commissioner of India Gyanesh Kumar, along with his wife, offered prayers at the Sri Varasiddhi Vinayaka Swamy temple in Kanipakam on Sunday as part of his two-day visit to Tirupati and Chittoor districts.
Temple officials accorded him a warm welcome and made special arrangements for darshan. After offering prayers to Lord Vinayaka, Vedic scholars rendered blessings and temple authorities presented teertha prasadam to the CEC. Andhra Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer Vivek Yadav was also present.
Earlier, Gyanesh Kumar arrived at the Kanipakam guest house, where Chittoor District Collector Sumit Kumar, Superintendent of Police Tushar Dudi, Tirupati Joint Collector R Govindarao, temple Executive Officer Penchala Kishore, Chittoor RDO Srinivasulu and Srikalahasti RDO Bhanu Prakash Reddy welcomed him.
Speaking to the media, the CEC said every voter should become a partner in strengthening democracy. He termed the visit ‘a new beginning’ towards conducting successful elections and noted that Assembly polls in several states were recently held peacefully.
Earlier in the day, Gyanesh Kumar and his family visited the Srikalahasteeswara Temple, where temple authorities arranged Rahu-Ketu Puja, Antaralaya Darshan and Vedic blessings.