Andhra Pradesh (AP) Chief Electoral Officer Bhanwar Lal has said that all arrangements have been made for the second phase polling in the state on 7 May in the Seemandhra region.
Elections to both Lok Sabha and Assembly seats are scheduled to be held simultaneously in Seemandhra on Wednesday. The elections have already been held in the Telangana area on 30 April.
These elections are the last polls held in the united AP as the state is headed to be divided into Telangana and Seemandhra on 2 June.
Seemandhra has 25 Lok Sabha seats and 175 Assembly seats, while Telangana has 17 MP seats 119 MLA seats.
Lal on 3 May said that the State Election Commission has door-delivered the voter slips to all eligible voters in Seemandhra, where 40,788 polling centres have been set up. The voter slips will also be made available to voters at the polling booths.
A total of 1.26 lakh electronic voting machines have been made available in the polling stations in the region. A total of 3.67 crore voters will exercise their franchise, he added.
Lal appealed to all voters, whose names have been figured in the voter rolls, to go to polling stations and exercise their franchise. All basic requirements are being provided in all polling booths of Seemandhra, the CEO said.
Lal said that Central forces have been called in for all poll security arrangements. In Naxal-affected areas, like Araku valley and Paderu of the coastal region, voting will be held from 7am to 4pm. In Kurupam, Parvathipuram, Salur, Rampachodavaram, Pedakurapadu, Vinukonda, Gurajala and Macharla, the polling will be held from 7am to 5pm, he added.
Voting will be held from 7am to 6pm in 165 Assembly constituencies, and four helicopters have been pressed into service for the poll duty, Lal pointed out.
(Ed: VP)
