Nandyala By Polls ends peacefully: Bhanwar Lal

Kurnool, Aug 23: The Election Commission chief Bhanwar Lal has announced that there is almost 81 per cent voters cast ballots in the by-election to Nandyal assembly constituency in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday, which passed off peacefully barring minor incidents.

For the first time, the Election Commission is using the Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) in the election.

Though polling came to an end at 6 p.m., those standing in queues were allowed to cast their votes. The exact polling figures are expected later.

Tension prevailed at Atmkaur in the evening when family members of TDP and YSR Congress party candidates clashed. Police had to intervene to bring the situation under control.

Long queues were seen when polling booths opened at 7 a.m.

Over 2.19 lakh voters were eligible to exercise their franchise at 255 centers.

The VVPAT helps the voters know the candidates they voted for. The VVPAT attached to the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) displays for seven seconds the name of the candidate the voter cast ballot for.

More than 2,500 police personnel, six units of central paramilitary forces, 15 platoons of the Armed Reserve and Special Police were deployed.

The election authorities monitored polling process through web casting cameras. More than 1,600 polling personnel were deployed.

The by-poll were necessitated after the death of Bhuma Nagi Reddy, who had quit the YSR Congress party to join the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) last year.

There are 15 candidates in the fray, including Bhuma's nephew Brahmananda Reddy of the TDP, Silpa Mohan Reddy of the YSR Congress and Abdul Khader from the Congress.

The counting of votes will be taken up on August 28.