tirupati l tuesday l may 14, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l late city EDITION SC to hear plea for timely release of voter turnout data on Friday Plea by Association for Democratic Reforms seeks a direction to the poll panel to put out station-wise voter turnout data within 48 hrs of close of voting suspicions about turnout data’s accuracy ‘Address delay to uphold voters’ trust’ The final voter turnout data for the first two phases were published by the Election Commission on April 30, by which time 11 days had elapsed since the first phase voting and four days since the second phase, the plea said. The delay, coupled with the unusually high revision of over 5% in the poll panel’s press note of April 30 has raised suspicions about the data’s accuracy, it said ■ To uphold voters’ confidence, the Supreme Court must direct the EC to disclose on its website, scanned legible copies of turnout data of all polling stations within 48 hours of close of polling, the plea said ■ The court agreed to list the plea for hearing on Friday after advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the NGO, sought its urgent listing Form 17C Part-1 has details of Votes Recorded by each polling station CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI Women make a beeline at a polling station in Kurnool district; Police fire rubber bullets after TDP activists allegedly after they attacked YSRC MLA G Srinivasa Reddy’s house in Narasaraopet; First-time voters flaunt their inked finger in Tirupati; An old woman en route to cast her vote in Dhone | madhav k / EXPRESS incidents of violence mar polling, particularly in palnadu, As supporters of ysrc & TDP clash ; Several hurt, cars & EVMs ransacked cliffhanger in ap as turnout may touch 80% Expr e s s N e w s S e r v i c e By 5 pm on Monday 68.04% vot, ers in Andhra Pradesh exercised their franchise. Polling was marred by quite a few incidents of violence in parts of Palnadu, Annamayya and other districts of the State. The final voter turnout, which is expected to touch 80%, will be announced on Tuesday . Serpentine queues were witnessed across several parts of the State as people began making a beeline at polling stations from morning itself. Polling continued till 10 pm in several booths, said Chief Electoral Officer Mukesh Kumar Meena. Pointing out that there were sporadic incidents of violence across the State, particularly in Palnadu district, he said normalcy was restored at these booths as soon as possible so that people could continue to cast their votes. Further, he added that re-polling has not been necessitated anywhere. Meena asserted that the polling percentage is likely to cross the previous mark of 79%. He explained that by 9 am, 9.21% voter turnout was registered ballot battle Voter Turnout 79.74% You have seen the governance in the last 5 years. Vote for the governance which you have benefitted from and will lead you to a brighter future YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, YSRC president 2019 Voting continued till 10 pm at 3,500 polling stations ELEVEN Key Assembly constituencies & candidates Pulivendula YS Jagan Mohan Reddy 12 Complaints of poll violence lodged by political parties Kuppam N Chandrababu Naidu EVMs damaged & replaced 68.04% 2024 as of 5 pm and it continued to see a double-digit raise every two hours. YSRC president and Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy along with his wife YS Bhara, ti, TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu, his wife Nara Bhuvaneswari, son and party general secretary Nara Lokesh, and daughterin-law Brahmani, and Jana Sena Party president Pawan Kalyan cast their votes. Final figure to be out on Tuesday Mangalagiri Nara Lokesh Re-polling not necessitated Election results to be out on June 4 Pithapuram Pawan Kalyan Instances of violence were reported as several places as supporters of the ruling YSRC and Opposition TDP clashed. Several people were injured, cars were ransacked and EVMs in a few booths were destroyed during these incidents. In Palnadu, supporters of YSRC and TDP sustained injuries during clashes. Narasaraopet town witnessed some tense moments with TDP activists allegedly attack- India gets strategic depth with 10-year deal to run Chabahar Port Y e s h i S e li @ New Delhi India and Iran signed a contract on Monday allowing India Ports Global Ltd (IPGL) to equip and operate the strategically located Shahid Beheshti Port in Iran’s Chabahar for 10 years. “We are scripting a new chapter in bilateral partnership. The contract will give a boost to regional connectivity and India’s linkages with Afghani- stan, Central Asia and Eurasia,” the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, said. The IPGL will invest approximately $120 million in equipping the port. India has also offered a credit window equivalent to $250 million, for mutually identified projects that will improve port-related infrastructure in Chabahar. Shahid Beheshti is the closest Iranian port to India. The deep sea port can ac- commodate large cargo ships. It is a more economical and stable alternative route for Indian goods to reach landlocked Afghanistan and Central Asian countries, bypassing Pakistan. More than 2.5 million tons of wheat and 2,000 tons of pulses have been trans-shipped from India to Afghanistan through the port since IPGL, through its wholly owned subsidiary India Ports Global Chabahar Free Zone (IPGCFZ), took over its operations in 2018. 8 dead as billboard falls off in rain-hit mumbai A 100-feet-tall illegal billboard fell over a petrol pump in Ghatkopar area of Mumbai as unseasonal rains accompanied by dust storms lashed the city Efforts were underway on Monday night to rescue about 100 people feared trapped beneath the hoarding. About 60 people were injured in the incident Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation said the maximum permissible size for hoardings is 40X40 feet. But the one that collapsed was 120x120 feet BMC issues notice to M/s Ego Media for installing the hoarding that collapsed on the petrol pump during the gusty winds on Monday evening With defeat confirmed, YSRC is resorting to violence. Despite provocation at polling centres, voters displayed restraint N Chandrababu Naidu, TDP supremo ing YSRC MLA Dr Gopireddy Srinivasareddy’s residence and d e s t roy i n g s eve r a l c a r s, prompting the police to fire rubber bullets to disperse the mob. Polling was halted for a while in Thummarakota, and Jettipalem villages after a few miscreants destroyed the EVMs. TDP leaders were attacked and injured in Rentala, allegedly by YSRC men, even before polling began. Macherla TDP candidate Julakanti Brahmanandai- ah’s car was destroyed and set on fire. Clashes erupted between the TDP and YSRC activists after Macherla YSRC candidate Pinnelli Ramakrishna Reddy was allegedly attacked by TDP members. Sattenapalli, Muppalla, Thondepi, Madala, Dammalapadu, Mokkapadu, and Acchampeta also witnessed attacks. In another incident, vehicles of Narasaraopet TDP MP candidate Lavu Srikrishna Devarayulu were ransacked by YSRC members in Dondaparru village. Miscreants hurled a molotov cocktail at a thatched hut in Tangedu village in Dachepalli mandal of Gurazala constituency triggering panic in the vi, cinity Fortunately no one was . , injured. In Tadipatri, sitting MLA Kethireddy Pedda Reddy’s supporters clashed with TDP candidate JC Asmith Reddy’s followers. Several cars were damaged in the skirmish. In Sadum mandal of Punganur Assembly constituency in Chittoor district, TDP leaders alleged that their polling agents were abducted by YSRC leadP4 ers. Srinagar records highest voter turnout in decades P r e e t h a N air @ New Delhi After registering a dip in voter turnout in the first three phases, the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha elections saw a 64.09% turnout in 96 seats across 10 states and Union territories. In the 2019 polls, the polling percentage in these 96 seats was 69.12%. “Polling in the fourth phase of general elections 2024 closed at 6 pm, but a large number of voters were still in the queue at polling stations,” the Election Commission said in a statement, adding these were provisional figures. Voting was also held in Srinagar, one of the three parliamentary constituencies of Kashmir. Polling was brisk by Srinagar’s standards — it recorded over 38% voter turnout — the highest in decades. In 2019, it was just 14.43%. Srinagar’s highest ever turnout was 40.9% in 1996. This is the first general election in Kashmir after the hollowing out of Article 370 in 2019. West Bengal recorded 76.32%, followed by Madhya Pradesh (70.47%), Andhra Pradesh (68. 2%), Jharkhand (64.59%), Telang ana (62.28%), Odisha (64.4%), UP (57.88%) and Bihar (55.90%). The low voter turnout in the last three phases has been a cause of worry for the Election Commission and political parties. The fourth round is crucial for the BJP as it hopes to make considerable gains in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Odisha. In 2019, the BJP and its allies won 47 of these 96 seats. With Andhra Pradesh and Telangana concluding the polling, the fourth phase will also mark the culmination of voting in South. Trinamool Congress and BJP workers clashed in various areas under Birbhum and Bardhaman-Durgapur Lok Sabha seats. ncw steps in AAP RS MP alleges assault by PA of Kejriwal U J W A L J A L A L I @ New Delhi Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal was allegedly physically assaulted at the residence of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday following , which she alerted the Delhi Police but did not file any formal complaint. Coming as it did in the midst of the general elections and with the AAP refusing to clear the air, the issue soon acquired political overtones. The police received a PCR call at 9.34 am from Maliwal, who was at Kejriwal’s residence, alleging that she had been assaulted by one of the chief minister’s staff. “As per information, the lady is saying that she is at the CM’s house and has been assaulted by CM’s PA Bibhav Kumar,” the note of the PCR call written by a policeman read. Deputy Commissioner of Police (north) Manoj Meena said the local Station House Officer along with other staff reached the CM’s residence but didn’t find her there. Maliwal, the former Delhi Commission for Women chief, later visited the Civil Lines police station but did not give any formal complaint. The National Commission for Women then stepped in and said it will write to the Delhi Police seeking an Action Taken Report within three days. Express read Available on Gazans flee again fighting breaks out in north, central areas Gaza: Israel battled Hamas in Gaza on Monday, including in far-southern Rafah, despite US warnings against a full-scale invasion of the crowded city and of the threat of post-war “anarchy” across Palestinian territory. Scan the QR code for further details *Basis lab test in controlled environment on protein damaged hair after five washes @ Vijayawada
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