MPTC, ZPTC Ballot Discrepancies Trigger Confusion During Counting in NTR

VIJAYAWADA: The counting of MPTC and ZPTC election votes in NTR district witnessed confusion after discrepancies were reported between the number of votes polled and the ballot papers found in ballot boxes at two polling booths in Vijayawada Rural and Ibrahimpatnam mandals on Saturday.

At the Paidurapadu polling booth in Vijayawada Rural mandal, one MPTC ballot paper and three ZPTC ballot papers were reportedly untraced during the counting process. A total of 832 votes had been polled at the booth. Officials reportedly failed to trace the four ballot papers even after recounting and cross-checking the total number of votes polled against the ballots available in the ballot boxes.

A similar discrepancy was reported at Kotikalapudi polling booth in Ibrahimpatnam mandal, where seven MPTC ballot papers were reportedly found missing from the ballot box when compared with the number of votes polled. Political party leaders brought the issue to the notice of Mandal Parishad officials and raised concerns over the mismatch between the polling figures and the ballot papers available for counting.

However, the Returning Officer reportedly informed the representatives that counting would be conducted based on the ballot papers available in the ballot boxes.

### Collector inspects counting arrangements at nine centres

Meanwhile, NTR District Collector Dr G Lakshmisha visited the counting hall at the Old Montessori College auditorium in Vijayawada and inspected the counting arrangements and the ongoing process.

Speaking on the occasion, the Collector said that segregation of ballot papers and counting had commenced systematically across the district in accordance with the guidelines issued by the State Election Commission (SEC).

He further stated that counting was being conducted at all nine centres in the district, with officials supervising the process to ensure adherence to election guidelines.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dasari Srinivasa Rao

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Dasari Srinivasa Rao is a Staff Reporter with The Hans India, covering NTR and Krishna districts, with a primary focus on Vijayawada. He has 32 years of experience in journalism. His reporting spans a wide range of beats, including city and rural development, politics, irrigation, education, crime, and human-interest stories.

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