EC to probe rationale behind 100 pc voting in last Kadapa polls

The Elections Commission would take steps to find out the rationale behind the 100 per cent polling during the last elections in Kadapa district as doubts have been expressed by some sections on this.

This assurance was given by Chief Electoral Officer Bhanwar Lal to representatives of the ‘Election Vigilance Platform’ who called on him at his chambers at the Secretariat on Wednesday.

Mr Bhanwar Lal was quick to point out to the delegation members that in most of the areas, 100 percent voting did not occur but in some villages all voters were said to have exercised their franchise. 

The EC authorities would be supported by the video cameras and the personnel would make attempts to detect malpractices in the process, the CEO stated.

Earlier, several organizations, coming on a single platform called 'election vigilance platform' appealed to Mr Bhanwar Lal to issue instructions for a free and fair polling particularly in some villages where the voters were being influenced on a large-scale with several attractive methods.

The Election Vigilance Platform leaders further alleged that over and above the Assembly and Parliamentary constituencies’ expenditure limit, the spending by the candidates in the district exceeded an estimated 1000 times. They appealed to the EC to take steps to curb this free flow of money. They also appealed that the EC must ensure that free flow of liquor must be controlled

Reacting favourably to this appeal, the CEO said that after shutting down the belt shops, efforts were also being made to close down all wine shops to stop the free flow of liquor.

The Kadapa Election Vigilance Platform leaders said that they were determined to check such unfair and illegal practices during the by-elections while conducting ‘padayatras’ enlisting the support of locals.

Senior Citizens’ Association president Dr Rao Chelikani, Jana Chaitanya Vedika president V Lakshman Reddy and Association for Promoting Social Action director S Sreenivasa Reddy later spoke to media persons.

Earlier, the CEO had released a poster appeal to the voters for fearless voting, along with former Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court Justice Ambati Lakshman Rao.