TDP’s Chiranjeevi Rao wins North Andhra Graduate MLC seat

He secured the required number of votes in the second preferential vote counting

Visakhapatnam

Vepada Chiranjeevi Rao, popularly known as ‘Economy Chiranjeevi’ of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), won the North Andhra Graduate Constituency (NAGC) MLC seat with 94,509 votes (required to win) in the second preferential counting held late on Friday night.

Mr. Rao was leading by 27,209 votes over the YSR Congress Party candidate Seetamraju Sudhakar at the end of the counting of the first preference vote with eight rounds till Friday evening. Mr. Rao polled 82,958 votes, but fell short of the magic figure by 11,551 votes.

The Returning Officer and Collector A. Mallikarjuna then went for the counting of the second preference votes of the list of candidates who got less first priority votes, from the bottom.

Mr. Chiranjeevi Rao reached the magic figure after polling 11,551 second preference votes from 35 candidates from the bottom. Those included 33 independents, the sitting MLC and BJP candidate P.V.N. Madhav and Progressive Democratic Front (PDF) candidate Koredla Ramaprabha.

The Election Officer handed over the winning slip of the MLC seat to Mr. Rao at the counting centre itself at Swarna Bharati Indoor Stadium, early on Saturday.

“Vepada Chiranjeevi Rao from TDP won the MLC seat with 94,509 votes required for the victory. We have counted the first and second priority votes to declare the seat,” Mallikarjuna announced on the occasion.