The final turnout of 69.8 % Thursday’s election to the North Andhra Graduates Constituency election in the Legislative Council is much higher than the 2011 election’s 42.43 %.
Of the total 1,55,993 voters, 1,08,874 exercised their franchise recording a percentage of 69.8 per cent. More graduates voted in tribal and rural areas of the three districts than in Visakhapatnam Urban area. The turnout in Srikakulam and Vizianagaram districts was more than in Visakhapatnam district.
In Srikakulam 22,813 of the total electorate of 31,381 voted (72.7 %) and in Vizianagaram 24,404 of 34,634 voted (70.46 per cent) while in Visakhapatnam district it was only 68.5 per cent with 61,657 of 89,978 exercising their franchise.
In 2011, though the total electorate was higher at 1,61,374, only 68,779 voted. The winner M.V.S. Sarma polled 31,439 votes.
Several rural areas of the three districts recorded a heavy polling. In the district, Elamanchili and Nakkapalli recorded 87.2 % and Anantagiri 87.1 per cent with 236 of the 271 voters exercising their franchise.
Upper Sileru and Paderu recorded 81.4 % and 74.3 % respectively. However, in the Agency area the number of voters was less but good number of them voted recording a high percentage.
In the other parts of the district, Bheemunipatnam topped with 77.3 per cent followed by Ukkunagaram and Steel Plant Township with 75.7 per cent and Anandapuram 75 per cent.
In the core area of the city, Maddilapalem and Akkayyapalem had 70.5 and 70 per cent voters exercised their franchise.
MLC M.V.S. Sarma, who successfully contested the 2007 and 2011 elections, said in 2007 of the 1.24 lakh electorate 84000 voted. There were a number of candidates who contested the election and got voters enrolled leading to higher voting. “There is always a relation between those contesting enrolling voters and making them vote,” he says. In 2011, the same voters’ list was validated and more were enrolled. But several who had contested in 2007 were not in the fray bringing down the percentage.
30 in fray
In this election again a total of 30 candidates were in fray enrolling voters and hence higher percentage, he said.
Senior journalist V.V. Ramana Murthy, who contested as independent, attributes the higher voting to younger generation enrolling and voting enthusiastically. Besides the TDP concentrated its entire machinery on getting votes polled, he said.
