Braving the hot sun, voters throng polling stations in Visakhapatnam

Long queues were seen at several polling stations in Vizag as voters, particularly the youth and women, actively participated in voting.
Braving the hot sun, people were seen waiting for long to exercise their franchise. Local shop owners, vendors, and small businesses closed their doors for the day to participate in the voting process, while salaried employees in commercial businesses and offices were granted special allowances to go and cast their ballots.

While polling began at 7:00 am, many voters reached the booths well in advance. However, Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) did not function in some stations in the Visakhapatnam East and Visakhapatnam North Assembly segments, irking voters in queues.

Voters were seen carrying water bottles with them as it was quite hot. With the district administration having made elaborate arrangements at polling stations to ensure peaceful polling, voters in Vizag faced no inconvenience. Shamiyanas (tents) were put up, and drinking water was provided at the polling stations. No untoward incident has been reported from any part of the city so far.

By 1:00 pm, the Visakhapatnam district had seen a voter turnout of 34.75 per cent. The breakdown of the polling percentage for each constituency is as follows: S Kota at 37 per cent, Bheemili at 32.61 per cent, Visakhapatnam East at 37.51 per cent, Visakhapatnam South at 31.11 per cent, Visakhapatnam North at 30 per cent, Visakhapatnam West at 36.40 per cent, Gajuwaka at 38.02 per cent, and Pendurthi at 30.03 per cent. Overall, the Lok Sabha constituency posted a total polling percentage of 34.03 per cent.

On the other hand, Andhra Pradesh may witness a record voter turnout in the 2024 elections. With the influx of migrants and NRIs returning to their hometowns, the voting percentage in this election could potentially increase further. During the 2019 elections, Andhra Pradesh saw a remarkable voter turnout of 79.7% in the assembly election, a significant rise from the 76% observed in 2014, nearly a four-point increase.

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Team Yo! Vizag