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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Rickelton's ton in vain as SRH beat MI by 6 wickets
Mumbai (PTI): Ryan Rickelton's whirlwind unbeaten ton was overshadowed by Heinrich Klaasen's unbeaten 65 as Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated Mumbai Indians by six wickets in an IPL match here on Wednesday.
Chasing an imposing 244-run target, Travis Head (76 off 30) and Abhishek Sharma (45 off 24) shared 129 runs for the opening wicket to set the platform for SRH.
Klaasen (65 not out off 30 balls) then displayed his all-round hitting abilities to guide SRH home with the help of Nitish Kumar Reddy (21) and Salil Arora (30 not out off 10) in 18.4 overs.
Earlier, Rickelton's knock powered MI to 243 for five.
MI rode on a 93-run stand between Rickelton (123 not out off 55 balls) and Will Jacks (46 off 22) in 7.1 overs for the opening stand to power the side.
MI skipper Hardik Pandya scored a valuable 31 off 15 balls before being dismissed.
Praful Hinge (2/54), Eshan Malinga (1/29), Sakib Hasan (1/39) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (1/31) were the wicket-takers for SRH.
Brief Scores:
Mumbai Indian: 243 for 5 in 20 overs (Ryan Rickelton 123 not out; Praful Hinge 2/54).
Sunrisers Hyderabad: 249 for 4 in 18.4 overs (Travis Head 76, Heinrich Klaasen 65 not out; AM Ghazanfar 2/51).
