VIJAYAWADA: Polling for the Zilla Parishad Territorial Constitueny (ZPTC) and Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituency (MPTC) elections concluded peacefully across Andhra Pradesh on Thursday, barring a few minor incidents, Director General of Police (DGP) Harish Kumar Gupta said.
In an official release on Thursday, DGP said the elections were conducted for 582 ZPTC and 7,767 MPTC seats across 28 districts. As many as 40,679 police personnel were deployed at 31,460 polling stations to ensure peaceful polling.
Voters participated in large numbers and exercised their franchise in a peaceful atmosphere due to elaborate security arrangements, continuous monitoring and special surveillance in sensitive and highly sensitive areas.
The DGP said police have identified sensitive and hyper-sensitive polling areas in advance and deployed additional forces to prevent any untoward incidents. Senior police officers continuously monitored the law and order situation and took immediate action wherever necessary.
Gupta personally monitored polling and security arrangements from the Integrated Command Control Centre at the State Police Headquarters. He reviewed the situation on the ground and issued instructions to senior officers and field-level personnel based on local requirements.
Technology was extensively used to monitor the polling process, including CCTV cameras, videography, drones, body-worn cameras, the Samarth App and the Trace Application, he added.
The DGP said 37 election-related incidents were reported from 15 districts, including Kadapa, Anantapur and Kurnool. He directed district police officials to verify the incidents using available technological evidence, identify those responsible and initiate strict legal action against violators. He warned that any attempt to obstruct polling or disturb public order would not be tolerated.
Following the conclusion of polling, police made elaborate arrangements to transport ballot boxes to designated strong rooms under heavy security escort.
Gupta appreciated district SPs, senior officers, police personnel and other security forces for their efforts in ensuring peaceful polling. He also thanked the voters and the public for their cooperation.