HYDERABAD: In a development that is likely to create confusion among voters, two contestants whose names are similar to that of the Congress and BJP candidates have entered the fray in Chevella Lok Sabha constituency.
All India Forward Bloc candidate Konda Visheshvar Reddy and Gade Ranjith Reddy of Revolutionary Social Party are contesting from the Chevella segment, where the main battle is expected to be between the BJP’s Konda Vishveshwar Reddy and Congress’s Gaddam Ranjith Reddy, who is the incumbent MP.
Though some believe that similar names may create confusion among voters if these candidates are listed one after the other on the EVMs, the leaders of the Congress and BJP don’t see such a scenario arising.
“As per the Election Commission rules, the candidates of national parties are listed in the first row of EVMs and the names of other registered parties’ candidates come after that,” said a leader.
“The names may be similar but the symbols are different. So there is no possibility of the voters getting confused,” added another leader.
It may be mentioned here that both Konda Vishveshwar Reddy and Gaddam Ranjith Reddy contested in the 2019 elections too, when the latter emerged the winner by a margin of 14,317 votes.