Local body polls: YSRCP raise objections over delimitation process, electoral roll in Vizag

Ahead of the proposed local body elections, the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) has raised objections over the delimitation of wards, preparation of electoral rolls and the reservation process in the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC), alleging irregularities in the number of voters across wards and errors in the voter lists.

YSRCP Visakhapatnam district president K.K. Raju, along with Assembly constituency coordinators, observers, former corporators and ward presidents, submitted a representation to the GVMC Additional Commissioner on the issues on Saturday.

The GVMC has recently been expanded from 98 to 120 wards following the finalisation of the delimitation process. The final Gazette notification on the revised ward boundaries was issued on September 14, after objections and suggestions were invited during the preliminary exercise.

After submitting the representation, Mr. Raju said that the YSRCP had received many complaints regarding the delimitation exercise and the electoral rolls.

He pointed to differences in the number of voters among wards and sought an explanation from the authorities for such variations. Citing Ward 105 as an example, he claimed that it had around 8,884 voters, while some other wards had more than 20,000 voters.

Mr. Raju said the authorities should clarify the reasons for variations in the voter strength of different wards and examine objections before finalising the electoral process. He demanded that all objections relating to the electoral rolls be thoroughly examined and corrections be made before the final lists are issued.

The YSRCP leader also raised objections over the reservation process. He said reservations should be finalised on the basis of official population data, caste-wise demographic details, relevant government records and the applicable legal provisions. He called for the reservation exercise to be conducted transparently and without political interference.

He said the party would consider approaching the courts if its objections were not addressed.

Meanwhile, the GVMC is making arrangements for the local body elections. It has directed officials to verify the electoral rolls ward-wise and polling-station-wise.