Huzurabad turns a political warzone

Huzurabad: With the Election Commission of India (ECI) deploying a huge posse of security personnel ahead of October 30 polling, Huzurabad constituency has virtually turned into a fortress apparently so as the high decibel battle for the seat is seen as a volatile faceoff between K Chandrashekar Rao and his former cabinet colleague Eatala Rajender.

Since Eatala had quit as the MLA, necessitating a by-election to the Huzurabad, the constituency has transformed into a warzone with the opposing leaders leveling fiery accusations against each other in a bid to elbow out the other.

Against this backdrop, the ECI has deployed 20 companies of Central forces in the constituency. This is a sort of record as any election in the constituency had never seen it before. In earlier elections in the entire erstwhile Karimnagar district, the authorities deployed just 17 companies. It indicates the high-octane situation in the constituency.

"Even at the height of Naxal movement in the region in 1980s, there was no such posse of security personnel stationed in the constituency. With both the TRS and the BJP taking it prestigiously, there is every possibility of their cadres going berserk during the polling," M Satyanarayana, a retired teacher, Huzurabad, told The Hans India.

Since the campaign began in June, the BJP has been accusing the TRS of misusing the government machinery including the police to its advantage. Campaigning in the constituency recently, the Union Minister G Kishan Reddy said that they have urged the authorities to beef up the security in the constituency to keep the situation under control.

The security of the star campaigners of all three major parties – TRS, BJP and Congress – campaigning in the constituency has also become paramount to the police.

Meanwhile, it's learnt that several top leaders who have been camping in Huzurabad for several weeks are in search of finding a way to stay in the constituency until the polling. Some leaders, on the premise of functions, have plans to stay in the constituency to oversee the 'poll management'. It may be noted here that it is mandatory for all the non-local leaders to vacate the constituency two days before the polling.