Cash for vote mars Graduates’ bypoll

Hyderabad: Polling for the Telangana Legislative Council from the Warangal- Khammam- Nalgonda Graduates' constituency passed off peacefully barring a few stray incidents on Monday. Over 68 per cent of the eligible voters cast their votes till 4 pm in the by-election.

The by-election was necessitated following the resignation of sitting BRS MLC Palla Rajeshwar Reddy, who won the Assembly polls from the Jangaon constituency on November 30 last year. The main fight was between Congress, BJP and BRS parties. The Congress had nominated Chinthapandu Naveen alias Teenmar Mallanna, the BJP fielded G Premender Reddy, while A Rakesh Reddy is BRS contestant. Counting of votes will be taken up on June 5.

Allegations of distributing money to the voters by political party candidates created a tense situation in some polling stations. During the early hours of polling the Congress cadre clashed with Independent candidate P Ashok Goud in Narketpally.

Ashok claimed that he was roughed up by the Congress leaders when he tried to stop them from distributing money at the polling station set up at one of the function halls in the town. He also alleged that they damaged his phone for recording the incident.

Similar allegations of money distribution were reported in Khammam. Video clips of the camp office of Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy in Sai Ganesh Nagar in Khammam went viral. The clips were showing a large number of people gathered there to collect cash that was promised by the Congress. Allegations of distribution of money were also made at Choutuppal in Yadadri- Bhongir district and Thorrur under Mahbubabad district.

Meanwhile in Hanamkonda, the Congress candidate Teenmar Mallanna and his men clashed with those who questioned his presence in polling stations along with scores of others from the party at Prashant Nagar.

Meanwhile in Nalgonda, there were reports of cross-voting against the Congress candidate. It is alleged those who were unhappy with the Congress leadership for fielding Mallanna indulged in the cross voting.

The State Election Commission had set up 600 polling stations and five auxiliary polling stations. The maximum number of polling stations was in Khammam and Nalgonda districts (118 and 97 respectively). Siddipet was the only polling station which had the least number of five polling stations.