Minus sporadic scuffles, ZPTC polls end peacefully in Kadapa district, YSRCP demands Re-election at Pulivendula

TIRUPATI: Minus sporadic scuffles between the ruling TDP and the YSRCP, the polling for the Pulivendula and the Vontimitta ZPTC by-elections went on smoothly without any major untoward incidents in Kadapa district on Tuesday.While a polling percentage of close to 75 was reported at Pulivendula, officials stated the polling percentage at the Vontimitta ZPTC elections were around 72% with many more voters waiting in the queue lines even as the deadline for voting ended sharp at 5 pm on Tuesday. Officials assured that all the voters in the queue lines will get their opportunity to vote.Both at Pulivendula and at Vontimitta, the contest narrowed down to a close votes battle between the TDP and the YSRCP.

While the TDP fielded M Latha Reddy, the YSRCP fielded Hemanth Reddy at Pulivendula ZPTC. And at Vontimitta, TDP fielded Muddu Krishna Reddy, while the YSRCP fielded Iragam Reddy.Earlier when polling began sharp at 7 am on Tuesday, voters queued up to the 15 odd polling stations across Pulivendula and 30 odd polling stations across Vontimitta to cast their votes through the ballot format. And as the polling progressed, minor scuffles broke out between the TDP and the YSRCP activists both at Pulivendula and at Vontimitta.

Alert police personnel under the supervision of Kurnool range DIG Koya Praveen and Kadapa SP EG Ashok Kumar intervened quickly and set things right on time to ensure there was no disruption to the polling process.High drama prevailed earlier in the day when the district police wing arrested Kadapa MP YS Avinash Reddy and placed YSRCP leader SV Satish Reddy and TDP MLC Bhumireddy Ramgopal Reddy under house arrest as a precautionary measure.While the police tried to shift Avinash Reddy, scores of YSRCP followers waylaid the police vehicle and freed the Kadapa MP near Yerraguntla. The YSRCP activists led by Avinash Reddy staged protests and demanded a Re-election at Pulivendula.Speaking to reporters, Kadapa MP alleged that more than a thousand TDP activists were brought to Pulivendula by Kamalapuram TDP MLA Putha Chaitanya Reddy, C Bhupesh Reddy and Jammalamadugu BJP MLA C Adinarayana Reddy for rigging at E Kothapalli, Nallapareddy Palli and several other polling stations.“Instead of preventing the ruling party ministers and MLAs from resorting to rigging and other undemocratic acts aimed at derailing the entire election process, the police dept pledge support to the ruling party by targeting the YSRCP activists instead”, Avinash Reddy rued and demanded a Re-election at Pulivendula.Meanwhile, state minister Mandipalli Ramprasad Reddy, who closely monitored the progress of polling at Vontimitta and Pulivendula, asserted that the state govt and the EC upheld the democracy by ensuring free and fair elections at both the ZPTC seats in Kadapa district. He dismissed the YSRCP accusations as lame excuses aimed to cover-up their defeat in both the ZPTC seats.And as the polling procedures got completed by the end of the day, the ballot boxes were shifted to the strong rooms at Kadapa, where they will be preserved in tight security until the counting day on Aug 14.