TRS-MIM-SEC turned polls into a farce: Congress

Hyderabad: The Congress party on Wednesday alleged that inaction by the State Election Commission (SEC) and local police on the poll irregularities by the TRS and MIM has turned the GHMC elections into a 'farce'.

Hyderabad City Congress Committee (HCCC) Minorities department chairman Sameer Waliullah said the polling in many areas on Tuesday was totally a farce, with neither the SEC nor the police taking any action to stop rigging and other irregularities by TRS and MIM. He said the candidates who tried to stop bogus voters were attacked and polling agents were threatened and even attacked at some places. At most places, the police acted as a mute spectator to the irregularities. Even the presiding officers took no action, even after being specifically pointed out by the Congress nominees and their agents. This kind of election was nothing but a total waste of taxpayers' valuable money.

Waliullah said the SEC and the entire polling staff must realise that they were being paid by from the public exchequer for their duties. Therefore, instead, of acting as agents of the ruling party, they should have acted as public servants. Irrespective of which party wins the GHMC polls, he pointed out, the role played by the ruling party, SEC and other officials would be condemned forever, as they tried to hurt the democratic processes. He alleged that the 'hate campaign' by TRS, BJP and MIM was largely responsible for the low percentage of polling in the elections.

Waliullah stated that the statements by leaders of TRS,BJP, MIM instilled fear among voters about the possibilities of violence on the polling day. Consequently, more than half of electors stayed indoors on the polling day. "They carried out the campaign at such a high pitch that it kept a majority of voters distracted and disturbed," he charged.