Steady voter turnout means peaceful voting in Andhra’s Madhurawada zone

Voters wait in a queue to exercise their right to vote at a polling station in the East Assembly constituency during the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) elections on Sunday (November 1, 2026). | Photo credit: V. Raju

Voting in Ward 11 of the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) began peacefully on Sunday (November 1, 2026). Around 300 voters cast their votes at the polling booth at Mandal Parishad Primary School in Gollalapalem within the first hour after polls opened at 7 am, according to Booth Level Officers (BLOs) S. Srinivas and N. Nageswarao, who supervised the process and guided the voters.

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Men and women, including senior citizens, lined up from the entrance to the school building, which stretched across the lawn. Police officers were stationed at the gate and inside the premises. No unusual incident was reported. Similar scenes were witnessed in other polling stations in Madhurawada zone.

Officials overseeing the vote said most of the early turnout was from residents of neighboring residences, while voters from nearby apartment complexes had yet to show up in significant numbers.

In Ward 11, a green carpet was laid from the gate into the building and a shamiana was erected over the front to protect voters from the sun. Cans with drinking water equipped with taps were placed along the queue. Ramps with handrails have been set up for seniors and people with disabilities. Signboards at the gate directed voters to their respective polling stations. The GVMC has also arranged drinking water points, staffed help desks and basic medical supplies including ORS sachets, cough syrups and paracetamol tablets for fever in the polling booths.

Voters cast separate votes for mayor and corporation using pink and white ballots. Both ballots were to be cast into one ballot box. Pink ballots were for mayoral candidates and white for corporate candidates.

Fifteen candidates are running for the post of mayor. The mayoral candidates include NDA’s Mukka Sravani and YSR Congress Party’s Varudu Kalyani.

The election, originally scheduled for October 28, was held on November 1 according to a revised schedule. Voting will continue until 5:00 p.m

Published – 01 Nov 2026 10:18 IST