Steady turnout marks peaceful polling in Andhra’s Madhurawada zone

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Voters wait in a queue to exercise their franchise at a polling booth in the East Assembly Constituency during the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) elections on Sunday (November 1, 2026). | Photo Credit: V. Raju

Polling in Ward 11 of the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) began peacefully on Sunday (November 1, 2026). Around 300 voters had cast their votes at the polling station at the Mandal Parishad Primary School in Gollalapalem in the first hour after polling began at 7 a.m., according to Booth Level Officers (BLOs) S. Srinivas and N. Nageswarao, who were overseeing the process and guiding voters.

Men and women, including senior citizens, queued up from the entrance of the school building, extending across the compound lawn. Police personnel were stationed at the gate and inside the compound. No untoward incident was reported. Similar scenes were witnessed at other polling stations in the Madhurawada zone.

Officials overseeing the polling said residents of neighbouring habitations accounted for most of the early turnout, while voters from apartment complexes in the vicinity were yet to turn up in significant numbers.

In Ward 11, a green carpet was laid from the gate to the building, while a shamiana was erected over the queue to shield voters from the sun. Cans of drinking water fitted with taps were placed along the queue. Ramps with handrails were provided for senior citizens and persons with disabilities. Signboards at the gate directed voters to their respective polling stations. The GVMC had also arranged drinking water points, staffed help desks, and basic medical supplies, including ORS sachets, cough syrups, and paracetamol tablets for fever, at the polling stations.

Voters cast separate votes for the Mayor and corporator using pink and white ballot papers, respectively. Both ballot papers were to be placed in a single ballot box. Pink ballot papers were meant for Mayoral candidates and white ones for corporator candidates.

Fifteen candidates are in the fray for the Mayoral post. Among the Mayoral candidates are Mukka Sravani of the NDA and Varudu Kalyani of the YSR Congress Party.

The polls, originally scheduled for October 28, were held on November 1 under a revised schedule. Polling will continue until 5 p.m.

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