The controversy over the votes of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president N Chandrababu Naidu ended with the EC clarifying that his votes will be treated as valid.
Earlier AP Chief Electoral Officer Bhanwar lal had declared Naidu’s votes both in Assembly and lS elections as invalid for violating the rule 39 of the model poll code by revealing whom he had voted.
The decision of the EC brought a relief to the worried the TDP which had petitioned the EC against Bhanwar lal.After casting his vote in Jubilee Hills near his residence, Naidu told the media: “For the first time, I could not vote for my party’s symbol. This is painful. I had to cast both the votes for the BJP candidates as part of the alliance with the party.”