Voters queue up to cast their ballots at Mandadam village of Guntur district on Monday.
| Photo Credit: G.N. RAO
Polling in the capital villages in Amaravati was peaceful and impressive on Monday. People were determined to cast votes amidst the scorching heat. Small gatherings of people were seen whispering about the likely outcome of the elections amidst intense speculation that the capital shift issue might have a profound impact on it.
The Polling Station (PS) in the Zilla Parishad High School at Mandadam, which is a stone’s throw away from the State Legislature Complex and the Secretariat, was teeming with voters right from the commencement of polling at 7 a.m.
The voting went on smoothly under the watchful gaze of the security forces and webcasting that was arranged inside the polling stations. A large number of voters turned up at other villages like Thullur, Lingayapalem and Rayapudi. The streets wore a deserted look as the people went in droves to exercise their right to vote.
Victory in Mangalagiri and Tadikonda (SC) Assembly constituencies, in which all the 29 capital villages exist, is a prestigious issue for both the ruling YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) and the TDP.
In this context, discontent has been brewing, especially among the farmers, about the capital shift idea. Much, therefore, depends on how the electorate perceives it. A few villagers near Rayapudi told The Hindu that of all the sections, farmers were badly let down by both the TDP and the YSRCP and it could be a deciding factor.