AP Assembly Elections 2024: Voting in 175 constituencies of Andhra Pradesh underway

Polling for all 25 Lok Sabha and 175 assembly constituencies is underway in Andhra Pradesh. The southern state is witnessing a triangular contest involving the ruling YSRC of Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy, the Congress-led INDIA bloc, and the NDA. This time, the BJP has allied with Chandrababu Naidu's TDP and Pawan Kalyan-led Jana Sena Party (JSP).

Andhra CM Jagan Mohan Reddy and TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu along with their respective family members, were among the early voters in the state. Jagan Mohan Reddy cast his vote at Bhakarapuram in the Pulivendula constituency of Kadapa district while Chandrababu Naidu and his wife exercised their franchise in Amaravati.

Seat-sharing for assembly and Lok Sabha

In Andhra, the ruling YSRCP is contesting in all 175 Assembly seats and 25 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state. As part of a seat-sharing deal among NDA partners, the TDP was allocated 144 Assembly and 17 Lok Sabha seats while the BJP got six Lok Sabha and 10 Assembly seats. The Janasena is contesting two Lok Sabha and 21 Assembly seats. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the YSRCP had won 22 seats while TDP was reduced to just 3. 

Jagan Mohan Reddy, Chandrababu Naidu - Key candidates 

YSRCP president and Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy is contesting from Pulivendla, TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu from Kuppam, and Janasena chief and actor Pawan Kalyan from Pithapuram. Andhra Pradesh Congress president and Jagan's sister YS Sharmila is fighting from Kadapa and BJP state chief Purandeswari from Rajamahendravaram for the Lok Sabha polls. 

The YSR Congress campaign centred around the welfare measures that it implemented during the past five years while the NDA highlighted the "failures" of the state government and the doles it would provide if voted to power in the state and the job creation it would do. Besides Prime Minister Narendra Modi, several union ministers including Rajnath Singh and Amit Shah campaigned for the BJP. 

1.06 lakh security personnel deployed 

For the smooth conduct of the polls, the Election Commission has deployed 1.06 lakh security personnel, who included 3,500 Karnataka police, 4,500 Tamil Nadu police, 1,614 ex-servicemen and 246 retired police personnel, among others. The polling is scheduled from 7 AM to 6 PM in the state, barring a few places where it will conclude one or two hours before. 

The total number of voters in Andhra is 4.14 crore, which includes 2.02 crore male, 2.1 crore female, 3,421 third-gender voters, and 68,185 service electors. As many as 454 candidates are in the fray for Lok Sabha and 2,387 for Assembly polls. The YSRCP won 151 seats, TDP 23, and Janasena claimed one in the last Assembly polls while the ruling party emerged victorious in 22 and Chandrababu Naidu-led party in three Lok Sabha seats in the 2019 elections.

IMD predicts rainfall for parts of Andhra

The Meteorological Department on Sunday predicted rainfall for parts of Andhra Pradesh on election day, accompanied by lightning and gusty winds. It said thunderstorms and gusty winds ranging up to a speed of 50 km per hour (kmph) are likely in parts of North Coastal Andhra Pradesh (NCAP), Yanam, South Coastal Andhra Pradesh (SCAP) and Rayalaseema. Similar weather has been predicted for three more days from May 14.