86.4% turnout in Huzurabad bypoll

Huzurabad: The high-voltage polling has come to an end. The fate of the candidates is sealed in the ballot boxes. According to official figures, the polling percentage by 7 pm was 86.40 percent as against 84 percent during last elections. Still large number of voters who had turned up towards the end of the polling time were in queue and exercised their franchise.

The exit polls, according to some media channels, have thrown up mixed results. While one exit poll predicted that TRS would win by 3.5 percent votes as against BJP's Eatala Rajender. Two other exit polls said that the BJP candidate would win with a margin of around 12,000 votes.

The BJP leaders claim that they stand to gain in Huzurabad mandal, Jammikunta, Ippalanarsingapu and Kandugula while in Huzurabad town it was a neck-and- neck fight.

With the polling coming to an end, the discussion is now being centred around what played the major role in these elections. Whether it was the sentiment or Dalit Bandhu or the role of money. Though there were no incidents of serious clashes, a few stray incidents when the TRS and BJP workers came to near blows at some places. The most interesting factor was that unlike in the past elections, cash distribution continued even as the polling was on. Though the police dispersed the activists from both sides, no one has been taken into custody for distribution of cash, political parties allege.

The polling started at a snail's place in the morning. It picked up pace later. The polling was in full swing during the afternoon session and by 5 pm the percentage was 76.26 per cent.

Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Shashank Goel, who took stock of the polling process in the Kamalapur mandal, said that 88 complaints were received on irregularities in bypoll.

"The election observers are collecting details and the officials locally were taking note of the distribution of money and if found correct in the inquiry, the Commission will take up action against the people responsible after the polls," he said.

BJP candidate Eatala Rajender utilised his franchise at Kamalapur and the TRS candidate Gellu Srinivas Yadav voted in Himmatnagar in Huzurabad.