Pulavendulu(KADAPA), April 09: For years people in several villages in seven mandals in the Pulivendula constituency, which were categorisied as sensitive, hypersensitive and problematic by the Election Commission, had never visited polling stations in large numbers, yet the polling percentage at those polling centres was always high.
In 2009, in a majority of them, the polling percentage crossed 75 pc and in some cases it was near-100 percent. Naturally, the high percentage of voting was attributed to rigging.
This time, it was a different story at the very same centres. Voters, especially women, stood in large numbers for hours in serpentine queues to cast their vote. Some enthusiasts turned up at the polling stations as early as 6 am.
A team of Express reporters, which visited some hypersensitive villages, saw that turnout at the polling stations was
genuine. Policemen were present but not to the extent as hyped in the media. Some voters said they cast their votes in every election while some others were candid enough to admit that they were casting vote for the first time though they had been on the rolls for a long time.
“I cast my vote myself and, of course, for the ceiling fan symbol,’’ said a 60-year-old woman, Venkatamma, at the Government High School (Ramanappa Satram) in Pulivendula.
At Nallapareddypalle in Pulivendula mandal, many villagers participated in the voting enthusiastically. Relief was writ large on the tension-free faces. Some looked happy for being able to cast their votes themselves.
At Ambakapalle and Murarichintala villages in Lingala mandal, women in large numbers cast their votes taking the help of the agents there. People of Ambakapale said openly that they voted for Jagan.
“We informed him of our decision when Vivekananda Reddy visited our village and we stuck to it,’’ said a villager who wished not to be named.
It was rumoured that polling staff, ‘bought’ by Jagan, cast the votes at some places but it was not proved.
Zonal officer Sudhakar Reddy at Murarichintala ruled out such a possibility. Citing rules he asked the mediapersons to leave the place.
Polling was peaceful in In Eguvapalle, Komannutala and Lingala mandals. Komannutala was in the news recently when TDP leader Chandrababu Naidu was attacked w.ith eggs and slippers.
By noon long queues of voters were seen at Parnapalle and Lingala polling stations.
In Vempalle some voters said they voted for Jagan as MP and Viveka as MLA.
–Agencies