ONGOLE: Polling for municipal elections in Prakasam district concluded largely peacefully on Sunday, barring a few isolated incidents. Voting was held in the Ongole Municipal Corporation (OMC) and the municipalities of Addanki and Chimakurthy.
Prakasam District Collector P Rajababu ordered a re-poll in Chimakurthy’s Ward 14/1 on Monday after three unidentified persons allegedly entered a polling station and disrupted the voting process around 4.30 pm. The decision was taken based on reports submitted by election officials concerned.
The Collector inspected polling stations at Kendriya Vidyalaya and Krishna Memorial School in Ongole and later monitored polling through live webcasting from the command control centre at Collectorate.
He said adequate facilities had been provided at polling stations, including special arrangements for senior citizens, persons with disabilities and pregnant women. Necessary security measures were also put in place to ensure smooth polling, he added.
District Election Observer Hepsiba Rani inspected polling stations in Addanki, while Local Body Elections General Observer Sridhar reviewed polling arrangements in Markapuram municipality.
Polling remained sluggish in the initial hours. By 1 pm, the average polling percentage in Prakasam district stood at 43.62 per cent, while Markapuram district recorded 50.28 per cent. By 3 pm, polling in Prakasam district increased to 57.39 per cent. At the close of polling, Markapuram district recorded 74.32 per cent turnout, while Prakasam district was estimated to have crossed 73 per cent.
