Amaravati, Aug 14 (NationPress) The vote counting for the by-elections to the Pulivendula and Ontimitta ZPTC seats is currently taking place under strict security measures, as the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) has opted to boycott the proceedings in Kadapa on Thursday.

The counting commenced at 8 a.m. at the Maulana Azad National Urdu University polytechnic.

For each Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituency (ZPTC), ten counting tables have been set up. It is anticipated that the process will wrap up in a single round for Pulivendula and extend to three rounds for Ontimitta.

A total of 100 officials, comprising 30 supervisors, 60 counting assistants, and three assistant statistical officers, have been designated for this counting session.

The YSR Congress Party is boycotting the counting, citing significant irregularities during the polling.

The elections for both ZPTC seats took place on Tuesday, with Pulivendula registering a 74 percent turnout and Ontimitta achieving an 86 percent voter turnout.

Due to violent incidents on Tuesday, re-polling was conducted at two polling stations in Pulivendula on Wednesday.

This by-election has witnessed intense rivalry between the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the opposition YSR Congress Party (YSRCP).

The polling for the ZPTC seat in Pulivendula, a stronghold of the YSR family, was conducted for the first time in 30 years. The TDP-led NDA government referred to this as a restoration of democracy.

The Pulivendula Assembly constituency is represented by former Chief Minister and YSRCP president Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, whose family has held the seat for nearly five decades.

The YSRCP has accused the TDP of electoral malpractice, including booth capturing and rigging, and has demanded the cancellation of the polling with a re-poll.

On Wednesday, Jagan Mohan Reddy called for fresh elections for the Pulivendula and Ontimitta ZPTCs to be supervised by Central forces to ensure fairness. He labeled the polling that occurred on August 12 a mockery of democracy.

He asserted that all polling agents from the YSRCP were expelled, alongside party supporters, who had their forms and slips forcibly taken and destroyed.

Jagan also revealed that YSRCP candidates would pursue legal action to annul the elections.

The YSRCP leader characterized the election process as the most atrocious and undemocratic experience.