Three-tier security in place for repolling in Guntur West and Narasaraopet Assembly constituencies

The police have made three-tier security arrangements in view of the repolling in Guntur West and Narasaraopet Assembly constituencies in the district.
The iron barricades set up at a polling booth at Kesanupalli village in Narasaraopet Assembly segment for repolling (Photo | Express)
The iron barricades set up at a polling booth at Kesanupalli village in Narasaraopet Assembly segment for repolling (Photo | Express)

GUNTUR: The police have made three-tier security arrangements in view of the repolling in Guntur West and Narasaraopet Assembly constituencies in the district. The election authorities have submitted reports after scrutiny of the polling for repolling at booth No 244 in GMC High School at Nallacheruvu in the city.

Further, repolling will be held at polling booth No 94 at Kesanupalli village in Narasaraopet Assembly segment. The voters of the two polling booths are eagerly waiting to cast their votes after the announcement of repolling date by the Election Commission.

For the record, the repolling is necessitated at Kesanupalli booth as the polling staff reportedly forgot to delete at least 50 votes that were polled during the mock poll. The polling staff found a difference of 50 votes between votes polled in the EVMs and votes cast by the enrolled voters.

The moment the discrepancy was noticed, the polling staff stopped the polling and reported the matter to the returning officer for necessary action. According to available information, 956 voters will exercise their franchise at  Kesanupalli after the announcement of repolling date by the Election Commission.

On April 11, the polling staff reportedly distributed slips to about 300 voters, who were in the queue to exercise their franchise and this was done due to delay taking place in the polling process. But as there was no compound wall around the polling booth, a school building, the number of voters doubled within no time and those who came and joined showed photocopies of the slips given, in order to establish their right to cast their vote.

Hence, the officials stopped the polling process after verification of slips, as they found irregularities. The polling staff submitted a report to the higher officials and accordingly, they proposed to conduct repolling at booth No 244 at Nallacheruvu in Guntur West Assembly segment. After scrutiny, the election authorities have realised that there is a need for repolling at the two polling booths in Guntur district.

K Srinivasa Rao, a native of Kesanupalli, said that the police formed queue using iron barricades and barbed wire fence around the primary school in the village for repolling and this led to the creation of some kind of tension among the people of the locality. He also said that the police had already been staying there and conducting counselling to villagers for the smooth conduct of repolling.

A peaceful village

YSRC candidate Dr G Srinivasa Reddy and also chief election agent K Bala Hanumantha Reddy said that Kesanupalli is actually a peaceful village, but cordoning off the polling booth created tension among the villagers and the fault lay with the election officials and not the local people. The YSRC candidate said that the people of the village are eagerly waiting for the announcement of repolling date to exercise their franchise again.

Tight security

ASI P Victor Samuel Babu of Narasaraopet rural police station, who had been staying in the village with 30 APSP and local police for security reasons, said that the police department had made three-tier security arrangements as a precautionary measure at Kesanupalli. The ASI said that security arrangements were completed four days ago to conduct repolling as per the directions of the Election Commission.

VVPAT slips in dust bin: Two polling officials suspended

Rajamahendravaram:  Presiding officer Ganta Latha and Assistant Presiding Officer Muchika Reddy of 108 polling station at Maredubaka in Mandapeta Assembly constituency have been suspended for dereliction of duty after Voter Verified Paper Trail Audit (VVPAT) slips were found in a dust bin of the panchayat office. Joint Collector A Mallikarjuna on Saturday issued an order suspending the two polling officials as per the directive of the District Collector.

Based on a complaint lodged by the BJP nominee for Mandapeta Assembly constituency in this regard, Returning Officer Chukka Venkateswara Rao filed a case in Mandapeta police station against the two polling officials. Apart from filing of criminal cases against the two officials, memos were also issued to them.

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