Visakhapatnam reports 3.34% voting in first two hours; Voter participation in core urban areas yet to gather pace
According to booth-level officials, voter turnout was thin between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m., with only a handful of people visiting several polling stations during the first hour
Visakhapatnam began its Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) elections on Sunday, November 1, 2026, with a peaceful atmosphere, although voter turnout in the first two hours was disappointingly low at 3.34%. Several polling stations, especially in semi-urban regions, saw a modest increase in attendance, while participation in core urban areas remained sluggish.
The municipal corporation had arranged for polling at 222 wards within NTR districts. Collector Ketan Garg inspected the polling set up at Ram Seva Sadan School in East Zone and emphasized the need for vigilance and precautionary measures to ensure a smooth election process.
Voter turnout started to pick up around 8 a.m., with long queues forming at many polling booths. Women and elderly voters were among the first to arrive, followed by others throughout the morning. Notably, Madhurwada and Anakapalli recorded the highest voter participation in the first two hours, at 5.87% and 5.18% respectively, while the South Assembly Constituency lagged behind with only 1.81% voting.
Out of the total 18,37,901 registered voters, 61,309 had cast their ballots by 9 a.m., with 34,531 being male voters and 26,778 female voters. Political leaders and local functionaries actively supported voter mobilization, arranging vehicles to transport supporters to polling stations. The polling process remained largely peaceful, although minor issues were reported in a few locations. Security was tight, with police and barricades ensuring a safe environment for the voters.
Written by urgent.news from The Hindu's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
