AP: Large voter turn out upsets YSR's calculations
The two phase elections in Andhra Pradesh witnessed a huge turnout of voters. Large scale turnout of youth and women at polling booths is believed to be the main reason for high turn out of voters on the polling day
ANDHRA PRADESH recorded the largest turn out of voters in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls. In the first two phases, the polling was completed for all the 42 Lok Sabha and 294 Assembly constituencies.
While in most of the crucial states, the polling was only around 50 per cent, it had crossed 65 per cent in each phase in Andhra Pradesh. For the two phases together, the polling was 72.5 45 per cent, far above the national average.
While the poll percentage was 69.40 per cent in the first phase, it was 75.50 per cent in the second, highest in the history of Andhra Pradesh. Two Lok Sabha segments in West Godavari, from where film star turned politician Chiranjeevi hails, recorded highest poll percentage of 84 per cent.
The large scale turn out of youth and women at polling booths is said to be the main reason for highest turn out of voters on the polling day. This has upset the calculations of Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy, who was expressing confidence of winning 230 Assembly seats and 36 Lok Sabha seats. Now, Congress party leaders are wondering that whether they can win even half of those seats.
The large turn out of voters said to be mainly due to the emergence of multi cornered contest throughout the state. While film star Chirnajeevi’s Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) posed a greater challenge to the existing parties, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Lok Satta Party, started by retired IAS officer N Jayaparakash Narayan, are also likely to alter the winning chances of other parties in several constituencies.
The polling percentage was more in the second phase as PRP has emerged on par with Congress and Telugu Desham Party (TDP) in several constituencies. Though PRP has given up its hopes to secure majority of seats, it is likely to get considerable number of seats, which may decide the fate of the next Assembly if it is a hung one, as predicted by several analysts. Only TDP is confident of getting majority seats along with its alias in `Mahakutami’ (Grand Alliance), including Telnagana Rastra Samithi, CPI and CPM. Congress has already started options of forming government by taking help of PRP and also some of the alias of Telugu Desam. A senior Congress leader said, “We will not allow Chandrababu Naidu to form next government. We will go to any extent to stop him from forming the government.”
On the other hand, Chiranjeevi’s brother-in-law and PRP general secretary Allu Aravind, who is said to be main player in PRP, is expecting to win the Lok Sabha polls from Anakapalli constituency in Visakhapatnam district. In case he wins, he is likely to join the Union Cabinet at any cost by extending his party’s support to the alliance at the Centre that would be in a position to form the government.
Aravind’s ministerial aspirations are likely to force Chiranjeevi to support Congress in the state too, facilitating them to form the government, if both Congress and PRP would be in a position to cross the magic mark together.
Though the first phase of polls went peacefully in Andhra Pradesh’s Maoist infested areas with out major violent incidents, the second phase witnessed many violent incidents. In the Rayalaseema districts, represented by Reddy, police remained mute spectators to the high handedness of ruling party.
In Pulivendala constituency, from where the CM is seeking re-election, Opposition polling agents were dragged out from polling booths by Congress workers. In some places, where Opposition agents resisted, they broke electronic voting machines.
In Tirupati, Congress candidate B Karunakara Reddy followed Chiranjeevi, who is contesting from their like a shadow party, attempting to prevent him from supervising polling by visiting several polling booths.
In the post poll violence in Tadipatri, brother of local Congress MLA and minister JC Diwakara Reddy - Prabhakar Reddy - attacked the house of TDP candidate Nagi Reddy and damaged properties of many TDP leaders. The police remained mute spectators.
The opposition alleged that this act of violence by Congress leaders reflected their fear of defeat.
While the poll percentage was 69.40 per cent in the first phase, it was 75.50 per cent in the second, highest in the history of Andhra Pradesh. Two Lok Sabha segments in West Godavari, from where film star turned politician Chiranjeevi hails, recorded highest poll percentage of 84 per cent.
The large scale turn out of youth and women at polling booths is said to be the main reason for highest turn out of voters on the polling day. This has upset the calculations of Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy, who was expressing confidence of winning 230 Assembly seats and 36 Lok Sabha seats. Now, Congress party leaders are wondering that whether they can win even half of those seats.
The large turn out of voters said to be mainly due to the emergence of multi cornered contest throughout the state. While film star Chirnajeevi’s Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) posed a greater challenge to the existing parties, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Lok Satta Party, started by retired IAS officer N Jayaparakash Narayan, are also likely to alter the winning chances of other parties in several constituencies.
The polling percentage was more in the second phase as PRP has emerged on par with Congress and Telugu Desham Party (TDP) in several constituencies. Though PRP has given up its hopes to secure majority of seats, it is likely to get considerable number of seats, which may decide the fate of the next Assembly if it is a hung one, as predicted by several analysts. Only TDP is confident of getting majority seats along with its alias in `Mahakutami’ (Grand Alliance), including Telnagana Rastra Samithi, CPI and CPM. Congress has already started options of forming government by taking help of PRP and also some of the alias of Telugu Desam. A senior Congress leader said, “We will not allow Chandrababu Naidu to form next government. We will go to any extent to stop him from forming the government.”
On the other hand, Chiranjeevi’s brother-in-law and PRP general secretary Allu Aravind, who is said to be main player in PRP, is expecting to win the Lok Sabha polls from Anakapalli constituency in Visakhapatnam district. In case he wins, he is likely to join the Union Cabinet at any cost by extending his party’s support to the alliance at the Centre that would be in a position to form the government.
Aravind’s ministerial aspirations are likely to force Chiranjeevi to support Congress in the state too, facilitating them to form the government, if both Congress and PRP would be in a position to cross the magic mark together.
Though the first phase of polls went peacefully in Andhra Pradesh’s Maoist infested areas with out major violent incidents, the second phase witnessed many violent incidents. In the Rayalaseema districts, represented by Reddy, police remained mute spectators to the high handedness of ruling party.
In Pulivendala constituency, from where the CM is seeking re-election, Opposition polling agents were dragged out from polling booths by Congress workers. In some places, where Opposition agents resisted, they broke electronic voting machines.
In Tirupati, Congress candidate B Karunakara Reddy followed Chiranjeevi, who is contesting from their like a shadow party, attempting to prevent him from supervising polling by visiting several polling booths.
In the post poll violence in Tadipatri, brother of local Congress MLA and minister JC Diwakara Reddy - Prabhakar Reddy - attacked the house of TDP candidate Nagi Reddy and damaged properties of many TDP leaders. The police remained mute spectators.
The opposition alleged that this act of violence by Congress leaders reflected their fear of defeat.
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