Visakhapatnam:There was a considerable turnout of applicants for the lottery of liquor shops in Vizag. Many women were seen among the applicants at the lottery held at Vuda Children's Theatre, which was conducted by District Collector M.N. Harindhara Prasad, District Joint Collector Mayur Ashok, Excise DC Srirammurthy, and Excise ESR Prasad.
However, it was noted that many applicants were supporters of political leaders and members of syndicate teams. Followers of local MLAs and opposition party leaders were particularly active, with some submitting multiple applications for each shop. The leaders reassured their supporters that even if they lost the application fee of Rs 2 lakhs, the potential rewards of winning would be substantial. In some cases, applications were submitted with the involvement of women to avoid raising suspicion.
A total of 4,139 applications were received for 155 shops across Visakha district, averaging 26 to 30 applications per shop. Due to Dussehra and bank holidays, the deadline for applications was extended by two days to address concerns about irregularities. Officials announced that the lottery would conclude on Monday, and successful candidates would receive a unique identification number. If a candidate does not express interest, the license will be allocated to the next two candidates on the list as reserves.
