Panchayat Polls Phase-1: Chittoor district records polling percentage of 79.33

Tirupati: The phase-1 panchayat elections were held in a smooth manner in Chittoor district, native district of Panchayat Raj Minister P Ramachandra Reddy, on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister K Narayana Swamy and his wife cast their votes at Padirikuppam panchayat of Karveti Nagar mandal of Chittoor district. Till 2.30 pm, total percentage of votes polled was 79.33%.

District administration has conducted elections for 342 panchayats in 20 mandals of the district. Police deployed more than 4,500 police personnel for election bandobast across the Chittoor division where the phase -1 panchayat polls were conducted.

Women were seen in large numbers waiting outside the polling stations in villages to exercise their franchise. In many villages, youth specially women came forward to cast their votes early.

By 8.30 am, polling percentage recorded was 14 %. Later at 12.30 pm, the polling percentage went up to 67 % and by 2.30 pm it was 79.33 %.

Chittoor SP S SenthilKumar and Tirupati Urban SP Ch Venkata Appala Naidu continuously reviewed the security arrangements at polling booths through online webcasting.

After 3 pm, the polling officials started the counting process in the same panchayats to declare the ward members.

At the counting centres, police bandobust was set up by Chittoor police and District Collector Harinarayan.

The Collector inspected the polling centres at Chillapalli and Thimapalli of Gudipala mandal as well as at a few polling stations in Chittoor rural mandal on Tuesday and enquired about the progress of polling with the staff.

In addition, Urban SP Ch Venkata Appala Naidu visited RC Puram and Vadamalapeta mandal villages to inspect the polling centres.

Similarly, DLPO O Ruparani closely watched the voting trend and polling procedure at 117 polling stations which were identified as most problematic.