Re-polling in 65 polling stations in Andhra

Re-polling is likely in 65 polling stations of constituencies that went to the polls on Monday. EC is likely to take the decision after receiving reports from all the constituencies.

Re-polling is likely in 65 polling stations of Lok Sabha and assembly constituencies that went to the polls in Andhra Pradesh on Monday.

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Chief electoral officer Narayan Rao told newsmen that the Election Commission would take a final decision on re-poll after receiving reports from all the constituencies.

Re-poll is likely to be ordered in 34 booths in coastal Andhra and 31 booths in the Rayalaseema region where incidents of violence, rigging and other malpractices marred the second round of polling.

He said an average 63 percent polling was recorded in the 21 Lok Sabha and 147 assembly constituencies Monday.

Compared to the first phase, which covered an equal number of constituencies, the second phase was violent. A Telugu Desam Party (TDP) worker was killed in a clash between TDP and Congress party workers in East Godavari district.

Three other deaths were also reported but they were not directly related to polling.

In Adoni assembly constituency in Kurnool district, a woman died of electrocution when she tried to remove the electricity connection given from her house to a polling station.

Electronic voting machines (EVMs) were snatched away by miscreants in four places. Two of these incidents took places in Prakasam district and one each in Chittoor and Kurnool districts.

Maoist guerrillas took away EVMs at Markapuram in Prakasam district.

"Barring these incidents the polling passed off peacefully," the official said.

The TDP candidate from Penugonda assembly constituency in Anantapur district, Paritala Ravi, was arrested after he shot and injured a Congress polling agent.