GVMC Polls: Smooth Voting for Senior Citizens, First Voters

Volunteers help an elderly woman cast her vote during the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) elections on Sunday in Visakhapatnam | Photo credit: IN PARADISE

Measures taken by the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) enabled senior citizens, persons with disabilities and first-time voters to exercise their right to vote in the municipal body elections that were held largely smoothly across the city on Sunday.

Most seniors reported that the process was smooth and that the staff guided them well. One of them, who did not want to be named, said finding the right station was initially a challenge after the number of wards grew from 98 to 120, but staff were quick to help.

Polling stations had drinking water, assistance desks, medicine counters, toilets, shamans and ventilation, with ramps, handrails and chairs for the elderly. Police personnel managed the crowds and food was provided for the personnel.

In Yendada in Ward 11, around 300 voters turned up in the first hour after polls opened at 7 am, said Booth Level Officers (BLO) S. Srinivas and N. Nageswarao.

They added that residents of long-term inhabited localities showed up in greater numbers than residents of apartment complexes. A similar pattern was later seen at other stations in the city. In Ward 3 in Bheemunipatnam, N. Narendra, BLO, said voting went off without a hiccup, while Assistant Nurse Midwife NV Padma and ASHA worker G. Konda said they had all the essential medicines, including Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS) sachets, paracetamol and a blood pressure monitor.

A voter shows his inked finger for the first time after casting his vote at a polling booth at KDPM High School in Visakhapatnam’s East Assembly constituency on Sunday | Photo credit: IN PARADISE

Elisha Paul K, 21, a first-time voter studying MBA at Andhra University, voted in Ward 31, Maharanipeta. He expected a rush and long lines, he said, but the process took less than 15 minutes and staff explained how the vote was done.

Patnala Papayyamma, 86, who finds it important to vote in every election despite the hardships of travel, her family said, voted in Ward 4 at the office of the Chief Inspector of Central Revenue in Bheemunipatnam. The family helped her get on a scooter allowed near the station.

A voter shows his inked finger for the first time at a polling booth in Peda Jalaripeta in the East Assembly constituency on Sunday. | Photo credit: IN PARADISE

In Chepala Thimmapuram in Ward 5, one of the exceptions, voting took a long time, with long queues stretching past noon. Jaya Kumar, 66, an ailing senior citizen, found the ramp occupied by voters queuing up and a wheelchair lying unused next to a wall. The service staff told him to walk around the building and use the stairs at the other end.

District Collector M. Abhishikth Kishore asked officials to ensure that voters do not face any inconvenience and to report the polling trend every two hours, while GVMC Commissioner Ketan Garg, who noticed long queues at several stations, ordered to speed up the distribution of ballot papers. Election Observer A. Bhargav Tej and Election Expenditure Observer PV Sandeep Reddy went through all the 10 zones between them and Mr. Sandeep Reddy expressed satisfaction over the smooth and peaceful polling.

The census will take place on November 3.

Published – 01 Nov 2026 23:46 IST