Prez poll voting goes off smoothly in Amaravati

​Amaravati: The Presidential polls went off smoothly with 100 per cent voting in the newly-formed Andhra Pradesh state where the Presidential elections were conducted for the first time in capital Amaravati.

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Assembly Speaker Kodela Siva Prasada Rao led the MLAs in casting their votes for the presidential election on Monday. Naidu was the first to cast his vote followed by Kodela at the polling booth in the Assembly’s committee hall.

The ruling TDP MLAs then cast their votes. The four BJP MLAs also cast their votes along with their ally. Leader of Opposition and YSRC president YS Jaganmohan Reddy led his party MLAs in the polling process.

Narasaraopet MP Rayapati Sambasiva Rao too cast his vote at Assembly polling booth. All the 174 MLAs (except nominated MLA) in the AP Assembly, including those of the opposition YSRC, had earlier pledged their support to NDA’s presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind.

The poll process commenced at 10 am where the ruling and opposition party members separately participated in mock voting before exercising their franchise. All the members cast their votes by 2 pm itself, though voting officially closed at 5 pm.

Earlier, Jaganmohan Reddy along with his MLAs reached Assembly in a bus to participate in the polling. After casting his vote, he got back to his chamber and monitored the voting of his members. In the 175-member state Assembly, the TDP has 124 members, including 21 who defected from YSRCP.

The BJP has four legislators. The opposition YSRCP has 46 legislators. Every legislator in Andhra Pradesh has a vote value of 159.

All the ballot papers will be sent to Delhi, where counting will take place on July 20, said Election Commission sources. Except Rayapati Sambasiva Rao, all the members of the Parliament from Andhra Pradesh cast their votes in Parliament House in New Delhi.