Khammam: Voters of seven mandals that would be submerged under the proposed Polavaram Irrigation Project were surprised over the sudden change of their political status by the Election Commission.

The MLAs of these people were changed under the new set up. Voters of these mandals were merged in two Assembly constituencies like Rampachodaravaram in East Godavari and Polavaram in West Godavari.

With this, the MLAs V. Rajeswari and M. Srinvasa Rao, representing Rampacho-davaram and Polavaram are the new MLAs of these people till 2019.

B. Balaraju, a farmer said, “It is a new experience for us and our MLAs have been changed without our consent.”

The commission merged voters of Kunavaram, V.R. Puram, Chintoor and Bhadrachalam mandal except the temple town merged in Rampachodavaram Assembly seat in East Godavari district and Kukkunoor, Velierpad and four villages of Burgumpahad in Polavaram constituency of West Godavari district.

The Commission has issued orders on merging the voters. The appeal of Bhadrach-alam, Aswaraopet and Pinapaka MLAs Sunnam Rajaiah, Thati Venkateswarlu and Payam Venkateswarlu, who asked the EC to keep them as legislators of these mandals till 2019, was set aside.

Rampachodavaram has emerged as a massive Assembly seat with 2.36 lakh voters and Polavaram with 2.30 lakh voters. Because of this, the number of voters in Bhadrachalam, Aswaraopet and Pinapaka Assembly seats in Khammam have been reduced to certain extent.

K.V. Ramana, a teacher in Velierpad said, “It is something new for us. We voted for one person during elections, but are being represented by another now as MLA.” He said the ‘new’ MLAs should visit these areas to introduce themselves.