WOMEN POWER: Women candidates and their agents having lighter moments at the counting centre for Kanakipadu ZPTC and MPTC in Krishna district on Tuesday. Photo: Ch Vijaya Bhaskar

VIJAYAWADA: Candidates of different parties and their agents, who attended the counting for ZPTC and MPTC elections on Tuesday, seemed to have missed one thing badly - the electronic advantage. The fact that electronic voting machines (EVMs) were not used in the local body elections left many somewhat impatient over elaborate procedure of counting and delayed announcement of results.

Candidates had to spend long hours outside counting centres between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m., when bundling of votes was carried out in all segments. Candidates of different parties who spent time together outside counting halls gave mixed responses. Some felt this would lead to needless tension, but others enjoyed their time.

Rare company

Candidates of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the Congress party were seen enjoying each other's company at the counting centre of Kankipadu mandal. Adding to their light mood, a woman candidate and her daughter-in-law kept cracking jokes with others at the lounge. Anne Rani and her daughter-in-law Anne Rajani Kumari were rivals and they contested on the Congress and the TDP ticket from Uppuluru MPTC segment in Kankipadu mandal. "Who says in-laws always fight? I welcome if my daughter-in-law wins. It has nothing to do with our personal lives," said a jubilant Rani.

Sharing the spirit, Congress candidate for Kankipadu ZPTC seat Koneru Dhatri Devi pointed out that if women candidates were in the election fray, there would not be any conflict. "You see here how we are happily spending time together. Defeat or victory should be taken with a light-hearted spirit," she said.

At Thotlavalluru, the polling agents kept busy with bundling process as Congress ZPTC candidate and probable for ZP chairman's post K.P. Reddaiah did not visit the centre till 1 p.m.

The scene was no different at Penamaluru, where TDP MPTC candidate from Yanamalakuduru third segment D. Mallikarjuna Rao was seen waiting along with his agent outside the counting centre. "I am waiting for my turn to attend bundling. We will have to wait till bundling of all MPTC seats in the mandal is completed. After that, counting will begin. It cannot be faster like in the case of EVMs," he said.

When the EVMs were used in the general elections, the trends started trickling in within minutes of counting and results were almost over by noon. But in the local body elections, the counting was back to the old system of segregating and bundling the votes, which took four to five hours.

The candidates and agents were allowed inside the hall only when the votes of their segments were either made into bundles or counted. The counting began only after all the bundling of all the votes with regard to both ZPTCs and MPTCs were completed. All votes were collected in a drum in respect of a ZPTC seat, leaving no scope for assessing a candidate's performance in each MPTC segment.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail