Hyderabad: Low turnout in T polls

Hyderabad : Barring a few stray incidents of lathi-charge by the police in a few segments and two people losing life owing to health issues, the Assembly elections in the 119 constituencies in Telangana ended peacefully on Thursday.

The poll turnout is likely to be around 70 per cent, which is lesser than the previous election. While the polling percentage in districts was more, the city had a dismal 39 per cent voting. This has put the BRS and Congress wondering whether KCR’s emotional appeal will work or will there be challengers from behind.

The exit polls however have come as damper for the pink party though it still maintains that it is going to hit a hat-trick. The Congress, while keeping its fingers crossed, is feeling elated with the exit poll predictions and claimed that the new CM would swear in on December 9 as announced earlier by the party.

Telangana is certainly critical for the Congress as these elections are semi-finals before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls as it can claim that it had stopped the forward march of the BJP down south. Even in the undivided Andhra Pradesh, the BJP had gone with the TDP and its prospects went down.

According to the exit polls, the BRS could suffer a setback in North Telangana which was the hot bed of movement for separate state and has a good number of Dalits and tribals. The South Telangana is tribal and leftist belt. It is being said that the BRS was ‘B’ team narrative had not worked for the BJP and the saffron flag will not fly high here.

The polling was brisk in rural areas since morning but around noon it took a dip and again it picked up during the last two hours. The fate of nearly 2,500 aspirants is now sealed in the EVMs.

There were two tragic incidents in which two persons lost their lives at the polling booths in Adilabad town. Gangamma (78) died because of epilepsy while voting at Mavala polling station in Adilabad municipal limits. She was immediately rushed to the hospital where the doctors declared her as brought dead.

In another incident, Chandragiri Rajanna (65) of Bhuktapur street of Adilabad town, died of cardiac arrest while standing in queue to cast his vote in a polling station. Rajanna suddenly fell down, rushed to the RIMS hospital where the doctors declared that he was brought dead. There were clashes between the BRS and Congress activists in several constituencies, including Kamareddy, Ibrahimpatnam, Medak, Alair and other places. Tension prevailed at Indiranagar in Kamareddy constituency. The BRS leaders opposed the entry of A Revanth Reddy, who came for a booth-wise visit as he was the candidate from there.

Leaders of both the parties raised slogans against each other. In the Narsapur constituency in Medak district, the Congress activists allegedly attacked the vehicle of BRS candidate Sunita Lakshma Reddy’s son leading to a tense atmosphere. There were clashes between the Congress and BRS workers at Ibrahimpatnam Municipality Khanapur where mild lathi-charge was resorted to the by the police.

Kuthati Sivakumar and more than ten others were seriously injured in the lathi-charge by the police on the people coming to vote in Naganpally village of Ibrahimpatnam mandal. The BRS and Congress workers clashed at Vijaymeri polling station in Bodhan Assembly Constituency. Police resorted to lathi-charge to quell the mobs. Tension prevailed in the polling station for some time.