YSRCP seeks EC probe into late night polling surge in Andhra Pradesh

The YSR Congress Party has sought a probe by the Election Commission into a late night rise in Andhra Pradesh Assembly poll turnout. Senior leader S Sailajanath alleged irregularities, while the Telugu Desam Party rejected the claims and called them baseless

Amaravati: Senior YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) leader S Sailajanath has demanded that the Election Commission of India order a comprehensive probe into the Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections 2024, alleging a suspicious surge in polling percentage during the final hours of voting.

However, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader N Vijay rejected the allegations, stating that a similar pattern of polling percentage increase was witnessed during the 2019 Assembly elections as well.

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In a party press release late on Saturday, the former MLA claimed that the sharp rise in turnout figures late in the night had raised serious doubts and warranted immediate clarification from authorities.

On May 13, polling was initially pegged at 68 percent, but between 11.45 pm and 2.00 am, nearly 50 lakh additional votes were recorded, taking the final percentage to 81.85, he said, adding that the poll panel must explain the discrepancy.

The opposition leader further alleged that, as per norms, only voters present in the queue by 5 pm were allowed to cast their ballots, yet while ‘tokens were issued to 30,000 voters, nearly 50,000 votes were ultimately polled’.

According to the YSRCP leader, such inconsistencies need to be thoroughly verified to ensure transparency and uphold the sanctity of the electoral process.

Noting that the polls were conducted by the EC through its officials in the state, the TDP leader wondered how his party could be accused of any wrongdoing when it was not in power.

“The same trend was seen in 2019, with polling percentage gradually rising from morning till evening. If there is any grievance, they (YSRCP) should approach the ECI. What is the point of blaming us (TDP) when we were not even in power?” Vijay told PTI.

He further pointed out that YSRCP chief Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy had raised similar allegations in July 2024, and recalled that the TDP had made comparable claims in 2019.

“Nobody has officially verified these allegations either at the central, state or district level. Making repeated accusations without verification serves no purpose,” he added.