CEO rules out bogus voting, final polling pegged at 71.34%

CE Vikas Raj refutes bogus voting attributions; clarified that voting extended up to 9.30pm in several polling stations. 13K cases filed for MCC violations; record number of postal ballots used. 71.34% polling in Telangana, 47.88% in Hyderabad. 33 counting centres, 1,766 counting tables set up for Dec 3. Tabulation of votes for each candidate in every round of counting.

Chief Electoral Officer Vikas Raj has refuted attributions that the spurt in polling percentage after 5 p.m. during Assembly elections on November 30 was due to heavy bogus voting.

Addressing a media conference on Friday, Mr. Vikas Raj clarified that in several polling stations, voting continued up to 9.30 p.m., leading to spurt in polling percentage.

In 13 constituencies impacted by left wing extremism, polling was wrapped up by 4 p.m., and in the remaining continued up to 5 p.m. Those who arrived at the polling station by 5 p.m. were allowed to exercise their franchise due to which polling extended up to 9.30 p.m., he explained in response to a question.

After the polling parties arrived at the reception centres, preliminary scrutiny was done by the Returning Officers, before sending the EVMs to the strong rooms.

As per the updated figure at 7.30 p.m. on Friday, the polling percentage for Telangana was 71.34% and that of Hyderabad, 47.88%.

Mr. Vikas Raj further said the scuffle between the Andhra Pradesh and the Telangana governments for control of Nagarjunasagar Dam had nothing to do with elections.

A record number of 13,000 cases have been filed with regard to enforcement of Model Code of Conduct this elections, he said. There has been marked increase in the postal ballot, with 16,005 senior citizens above 80 and 9,459 persons with disabilities using it, apart from 1.8 lakh government employees.