A little over 79 percent voters cast their votes in the simultaneous elections to 175-member Andhra Pradesh Assembly and 25 Lok Sabha seats on Thursday, poll officials said on Friday.
Officials said 79.64 percent turnout was recorded. The polling percentage has gone up compared to 2014 elections when 77.80 percent turnout was recorded.
The Election Commission has not yet taken a decision on the demand by some parties for a repoll in a few polling booths, where the poll process was affected by malfunctioning Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) or poll violence.
Two persons were killed and scores of others injured in clashes between workers of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and YSR Congress Party (YSRCP).
The polling was marred by complaints of malfunctioning of EVMs in several booths. The polling in 400 polling stations continued beyond 6 p.m. and in some places voters cast their votes past midnight.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu also wrote to the Chief Election Commissioner saying that EVMs were not working in 30% of the polling stations, and that repolls should be conducted in places where voting had not begun till 9:30 am on Thursday.
“A large number of women and old people are waiting in the hot sun as the commencement of poll has been delayed, and the polling process is slow. It is likely that many of the voters who returned may not come back for voting even if the polling is resumed after replacement/repair of the existing EVMs,” Naidu wrote in the letter, demanding repolling.
"We have for long been saying that there is scope for technical problems and manipulation in EVMs. Even technologically advanced countries are using ballot papers," the TDP chief said.
Authorities had set up 46,120 polling stations for a little over 3.93 crore voters. There were 319 candidates in fray for Lok Sabha seats while 2,118 candidates contested the Assembly polls.
IANS inputs