Polling percentage likely to touch 81% in Andhra: ECI

According to the figures released by the ECI, the state witnessed a turnout of 78.46% till midnight on Monday

The voter turnout in Andhra Pradesh that went to polls to its 175-member state assembly and 25 Lok Sabha seats on Monday is expected to cross 81%, as compared to 79.2% in 2019 general elections, Election Commission of India (ECI) authorities said on Tuesday.

Voters wait in queues to cast their votes at Sullurupeta in Tirupati on Monday. (ANIi)

According to the figures released by the ECI, the state witnessed a turnout of 78.46% till midnight on Monday. “The polling went on till 2 am in the early hours of Tuesday in some polling stations and we are gathering the data. The overall polling percentage is expected to touch 81%, including 1.2% of postal ballots,” chief electoral officer Mukesh Kumar Meena told reporters on Tuesday evening.

Meena said this was the highest-ever polling percentage in Andhra Pradesh since the bifurcation of the Telugu state in 2014. During the combined Andhra Pradesh regime in 2009, the overall poll percentage in the state was 75.9, which went up to 78.4% in 2014 when the state was bifurcated into Telangana and residuary Andhra Pradesh.

“In 2019, the state recorded polling percentage of 79.2%. This time, there is a record turnout of voters at the polling stations and the overall poll percentage might touch 81 when the final figures will be out,” the CEO said.

According to the figures released by the ECI, Dharmavaram assembly constituency in Sri Satya Sai district recorded the highest turnout of 88.61%, followed by 87.75% at Ungutur in Eluru district, 87.72% in Pedana in Krishna district, 87.32% in Nuzvid in Eluru district, 87.67% in Uravakonda in Anantapur district, 87.50% in Kadiri, 87.11% in Pamarru in Krishna district, 86.75% in Addanki in Bapatla district and 86.50% in Nandigama and Jaggayyapet in NTR district.

The lowest poll percentage recorded in the state was 59.95% in Tirupati assembly constituency of Tirupati district.

The high percentage of polling in Andhra Pradesh this time is also attributed to massive inflow of Andhra settlers from neighbouring Telangana and Karnataka states in the last two days.

The Andhra Pradesh state road transport corporation arranged as many as 2,731 additional buses, including 1,048 special services, apart from regular bus services from Hyderabad and Bengaluru to various districts of Andhra and Rayalaseema on Saturday and Sunday to enable Andhra voters coming to their native places to cast their votes.

According to Vijayawada-based senior journalist Pavan Kumar, all the buses and trains were packed with passengers coming from different parts of Telangana and Karnataka to Andhra Pradesh.

“Private travel operators charged a bomb for passengers. Yet, the enthusiastic voters did not hesitate to pay to reach their native places to cast their votes,” he said.

Both the ruling YSR Congress party and the opposition Telugu Desam Party-JanaSena Party alliance made all out efforts to mobilise Andhra settlers in other states to come to their native places to cast their votes. At least a million people from Andhra, settled in Telangana and Karnataka might have gone to Andhra to exercise their franchise, Kumar added.