High turnout leaves TDP, YSRC puzzled

Nandyal: The high-staked byelection in Nandyal ended with a massive voter turnout on Wednesday, leaving the ruling and opposition parties and poll pundits brooding over the outcome. Even as a clear picture is yet to emerge till 8pm, the polling percentage is likely to cross 80 per cent.

Chief Electoral Officer Banwarlal told media in Hyderabad that 76 per cent of votes polled by 5pm and the polling lasted till 6pm. Reports reaching the state headquarters suggested that in areas like Gospadu turnout crossed even 90 per cent.

Voters were seen queuing up before the polling stations right from 6am. The segment recorded 75.2 per cent of polling in 2014 general elections.

When the political scientists have a different take on the heavy voter turnout, the TDP and the YSRC were busy drawing inferences in suit with their perceptions and interests. According to KC Sury, a political scientist from University of Hyderabad who is closely associated with Yogendra Yadav, a psephologist involved in poll surveys, heavy voter turnout does not necessarily signal anti-incumbency sentiment. Universal law suggests that competitiveness among political parties in the fray is the trigger for the trend of high voter turnouts.

When the outcome is uncertain, turnout tends to shoot up, says K Viyanna Rao, former Vice-Chancellor of Andhra University and social analyst. Both the TDP and the YSRC took the byelection as a life and death issue, although it was not so for both of them. Obviously, it generated a lot of political heat, drawing state-wide attention.

Naturally, voters drew themselves to the polling stations in large numbers, he said. Leader of Opposition YS Jaganmohan Reddy spent 13 days in the thick of campaigning while CM Naidu paid three visits involving five days in Nandyal. The byelection became a tug of war when the YSRC decided not to leave the seat unopposed as a striking departure from the previous conventions practiced in the case of death of sitting MLAs and MPs.