Strange incident in Andhra Pradesh: Locals protest demanding money for polling
Amaravati: Across several parts of Andhra Pradesh, residents took to the streets to protest the alleged non-payment of bribe money for voting. As the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections progress in the state today, concerns about the integrity of the electoral process have been raised.
Reports echo a similar incident in Maharashtra's Aurangabad, where women claimed they were enticed to a NDA campaign meeting with promises of Rs. 500 but were left empty-handed. Now, in Sattenapally of Palandu district, locals have staged protests asserting they were not given the promised bribe money ahead of the polls.
Leaders purportedly promised money in exchange for votes for specific candidates. However, disgruntled women took to the streets, lamenting the failure to fulfill these promises. This occurrence marks at least five such incidents in Andhra Pradesh. It's suggested that the going rate for a single vote in Assembly and Lok Sabha constituencies ranges between Rs. 1,000 and Rs. 6,000.
In Peethampuram, voters aired their grievances for lack of payment in front of candidates' offices. Allegedly, party supporters were promised Rs. 5,000 per vote, leading to protests when women voters were allegedly overlooked. Police intervention was required to disperse the crowd.
Similarly, in Ongole, Rs. 5,000 per vote was purportedly distributed, sparking protests from those left empty-handed. Villagers in Kondevaram village, East Godavari district, also protested, demanding compensation for their votes. A similar scenario unfolded in Vijayawada, where households of corporation members were allegedly offered Rs. 1,000 per vote.
As the voting process unfolds in Andhra Pradesh, reports of violence in certain polling booths have emerged. Mukesh Kumar Meena, Chief Electoral Officer of Andhra Pradesh, confirmed the rescue of three abducted TDP polling agents in Chittoor district.
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Four of family killed as car jumps divider on highway in Gujarat's Panchmahal
Godhra (Gujarat) (PTI): Four members of a family were killed, and one sustained grievous injuries after their speeding car jumped a divider on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway corridor in Gujarat's Panchmahal district on Monday, police said.
The car driver lost control of the wheels near Kalol. As a result, the four-wheeler jumped the divider and veered off to the other side of the highway, an official from Kalol police station said.
Soon after the accident, some locals rushed to the scene and also alerted the police. Efforts were made to pull out the people trapped in the car.
Four persons died on the spot, while one suffered injuries, the official said.
The deceased were members of a family from Vadodara and were returning from Rajasthan when the tragedy struck, the official said.
They have been identified as Sajid Iqbal Khinji (55), Ilyas Iqbal Khinji (50), Ishaq Iqbal Khinji (48) and Rehan Azgar Khinji (35).
