AP: EC to release final voter list on Jan 22; Of 4.07 crore electors, 7.88L are first-timers

Vijayawada: Chief Election Commissioner of India (CEC) Rajiv Kumar on Wednesday said that the final electoral roll in all the 175 Assembly constituencies of Andhra Pradesh will be released on January 22, 2024.

Women voters outnumber men in AP

Speaking to the media here, Rajiv Kumar said that the number of women voters was more than men. The state had a total of 4.07 crore voters. Of them, 2.07 crore were women. As many as 7.88 lakh voters would exercise their right to franchise for the first time in the state, he said.

Likewise, around 5.8 lakh people could cast their vote for home.

The CEC said that the state had as many as 1,174 voters above 100 years of age. “Andhra Pradesh has as many as 46,165 polling centers. On average each polling center has a voter turnout of around 870. In some polling centers, it was around 1,500 voters. Earlier, around 20 lakh voters were deleted from the electoral list. Among them 13,000 voters were deleted illegally,” he said.

Political parties object to dual voters

Rajiv Kumar said that political parties have raised their objections regarding dual voters in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Instructions were given to the State Election Commission (SEC) officials to verify the electoral list and initiate necessary action on dual voters, he said and added that in Andhra Pradesh, the elections for State Legislative Assembly and Lok Sabha would be held simultaneously.

On concerns raised by various political parties, the CEC said that leaders expressed their concern over the changes in the electoral list. A political party appealed to the Election Commission of India (ECI) to conduct elections under the supervision of paramilitary forces, he said.

He added that pleas were made by the political parties to initiate stern action on applications meant for downloading voter lists illegally and removal of bulk voters from the electoral list.

“We have initially visited Andhra Pradesh ahead of elections in the country. All the suggestions made by the political parties will be taken into consideration to ensure polling in a peaceful manner in the State,” Rajiv Kumar added.

Poll Preparedness in Andhra Pradesh

The CEC said as many as 139 check posts were set up in the state for the smooth conduct of the elections. “We have asked the officials to be vigil and transparent to curtail the flow of illegal money and liquor during the elections. Seizures have seen an exponential increase in the last 11 Assembly elections across the country,” Rajiv Kumar said.

ECI to initiate criminal action against leaders for filing false affidavit

Rajiv Kumar said that instructions were given to the SEC to initiate criminal action against leaders who filed false affidavits. Referring to the dual voters, he said that the CEC noticed that several voters who cast their vote in the recently concluded Telangana Assembly elections have enrolled their votes in Andhra Pradesh. Criminal action would be initiated on such voters, he added.

The CEC appealed to the voters to file their complaints on the C Vigil application for quick redressal and voters would be guided properly through the voter helpline application. Apart from that the SEC would also initiate stern action against those carrying out false propaganda and campaigns on social media platforms, he said.

A delegation headed by the CEC arrived in Vijayawada on Tuesday for a two-day visit to assess poll preparedness in Andhra Pradesh. Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president N Chandrababu Naidu, accompanied by Jana Sena president Pawan Kalyan alleges irregularities in AP electoral rolls. While YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) Rajya Sabha MP V Vijayasai Reddy seeks action on fake complaints and TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh for threatening officials with ‘Red Book’.