High voter turnout in Warangal

Warangal: Compared to previous elections, the voter turnout in erstwhile Warangal district was high in the polling to Warangal-Khammam-Nalgonda Graduate Council seat on Sunday. Barring an altercation between the ruling TRS and the BJP workers at Nellikuduru in Warangal Rural district, the polling was peaceful.

The voting, which started on a passive note in the morning, picked up late in the afternoon. Voters were seen complaining about the absence of basic amenities at several polling stations. Majority of polling stations witnessed serpentine queues braving the scorching sun.

Once they got past the queue, they were in for another problem. It became a herculean task for the voters to find their choice of candidate in the jumbo-sized ballot. As a result, it took a lot of time for the voters to vote. It may be mentioned here that as many as 71 candidates were in the fray for the Grads Council seat.

"The authorities would have arranged more polling stations to avoid delay in casting votes," Kadipikonda Srinivas Reddy, private employee, resident of Bheemaram in Warangal Urban district said.

At Nellikuduru, TRS and the BJP workers came to fisticuffs. The issue was subsided after the timely intervention of the police. The BJP workers alleged that the TRS activists were luring the voters by distributing money. BJP candidate Gujjula Premender Reddy rushed to Nellikuduru and staged a protest demanding action against the TRS workers.

Reddy said that BJP workers caught the TRS leaders, who were distributing money to voters at a nearby function hall. The TRS workers not only attacked the BJP supporters but also damaged their cameras and phones to suppress the fact. It reflects that KCR is desperate to win the election, he added.

Reacting to the incident, Minister for Panchayat Raj Errabelli Dayakar Rao accused BJP leaders of infringing model code of conduct. The TRS workers stopped BJP leaders, who tried to get into the polling booth with their party scarves.

Meanwhile, Telangana Jana Samithi (TJS) president and also the contender for the Grads Council seat Prof M Kodandaram denied the allegations that he met KCR in the latter's farmhouse. "The propaganda was aimed at tarnishing my image and sabotaging my winning chances in the election," he said. He also found fault with the TRS for splurging huge amounts of money to lure the voters.

Elsewhere in Mahabubabad, the TRS and the CPI workers came to blows after the latter allegedly obstructing the TRS supporters from distributing money to voters. The police pacified both the groups.

Meanwhile, Chief Electoral Officer Shashank Goyal who inspected the voting process in Warangal said that they had received complaints about fake news being trolled by unknown persons on candidates. "We will initiate a probe and take appropriate action," he said.

The voting percentage registered in the six districts of erstwhile Warangal. Warangal Urban 65%, Warangal Rural 77.78%, Jangaon 83.37%, Mahabubabad 78%, Mulugu 79.38% and Jayashankar Bhupalpally 69%. The overall percentage of voter turnout in the Warangal-Khammam-Nalgonda Grads Council was 74 per cent.