50 lakh to vote in second phase of local polls

Hyderabad: As many as 50 lakh rural voters would exercise their right to vote in the second phase polls for the Zilla Parishad and Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituencies on Friday.

The State Election Commission has made all arrangements to conduct the polls. The polling officials and the security personnel have been dispatched to the 10,000 polling stations in the state.

Polling would be held to elect 179 ZPTCs and 1850 MPTCs seats as one ZPTCs and 63 MPTCs have been elected unopposed in the second phase.

The polling would be held between 7 am and 5 pm in all the areas except in Maoist infested areas. In the Maoist dominated areas the polling would be completed by 4 pm.

About 30,000 polling personnel and 34,000 security staff would oversee the conduct of the elections. SEC made arrangements for safe and fair polls in the polling stations.

Meanwhile, the political parties have been trying to improve the polling percentage with a fear of defeat.

They are of the view that dip in the polling percentage may affect any side.

A few leaders said that since the margins in would be very less in the ZPTC and MPTC polls, care has to be taken for better poll percentage.

Polling of 80 per cent to 85 per cent would help to ensure win with a better margin. If the poll percentage is low, a candidate may face the defeat even with 10 to 20 votes.

Particularly the ruling TRS is worried about the low polling percentage in the first phase. The polling percentage was 76 per cent, much lower than the poll percentage of the Gram Panchayat elections which was 88 per cent.

Congress leaders claimed that the supporters of the ruling TRS have not come to the polling in the first phase and this was the reason for the fall in the poll percentage.

A MLA of the Congress said that the rural voters were angry with the ruling party as it has failed to fulfill the promises though it was given power for the second time in the Assembly elections.

The leader said that fall in the poll percentage would help the Congress. Several leaders said that the severe summer has been discouraging the voters from participating in the polling.

Those who are serious to vote have been coming in the morning hours to cast their votes.

With this the political parties have been trying to improve the poll percentage in the second phase.

The candidates of the main parties have visited each house and urged the voters to come out and vote.