Cyclone Fani: EC relaxes MCC in 4 districts of Andhra Pradesh

New Delhi (India), May 3 (ANI): In the backdrop of cyclonic storm Fani, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has relaxed Model Code of Conduct (MCC) in four districts of Andhra Pradesh - East Godavari, Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam - in order to facilitate speedy rescue, relief and restoration activities.
"The Election commission has considered the matter and approved the proposal of granting relaxation in the provisions of Model Code of Conduct (MCC) for all the preventive and relief work associated with the cyclone in East Godavari, Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam," said the ECI order.
Extremely severe cyclonic storm Fani, which hit Odisha coast near Puri on Friday morning, triggered heavy rains in parts of north coastal Andhra Pradesh, while gusty winds uprooted trees and electricity poles. It moved close to north coastal Andhra before it made landfall in neighbouring Odisha.
Yesterday the Election Commission directed officials to conduct re-elections at five polling stations in Andhra Pradesh on May 6. Voting will be held in polling booths located in Guntur, Prakasam and Nellore districts.
Voting for all the 175 Assembly and 25 Lok Sabha constituencies across Andhra Pradesh were held in a single phase on April 11. Counting of votes will start on May 23.
Mrityunjay Mohapatra, IMD official, Delhi informed, "Cyclone Fani has moved away from Andhra Pradesh, so we have issued a de-warning. Three districts in the state were impacted by heavy rainfall." (ANI)