6% higher voter turnout in Tandur

Tandur: The constituency had a voter turnout of 76.79 percent, which is six per cent higher than the 2014 elections, keeping the main contenders fretful of their chances of winning the election. There are five mandals, Tandur town, Yalala, Bashirabad, Tandur and Peddamul, in the constituency with 261 polling stations. Of 2, 01,888, some 1, 55,039 voters utilised their right to vote. As many as 56,851 voters distanced themselves from polling booths, and the majority of them were women. There are 1, 03,034 women voters in the constituency, of which some 77,932 voters visited the booths and 35,102 voters distanced themselves. In case of male voters, there are 98,843 voters, of which some 77,107 voters utilised the right to vote and 29,736 distanced themselves.

Voters also increased this season due to the newly registered 12,709 voters, and it also contributed to the increase in poll percentage. Urban areas also registered high polling. A polling centre in Neellapally of Basheerabad Mandal registered a high poll percentage of 93.07. As many as 595 voters franchised their votes out of 635 voters. Another polling centre at Veerareddypally of Tandur Mandal took second place with 93.01 poll percentage. 386 people franchised their votes out of 415 voters. A polling centre at Karankot of the same mandal registered a low percentage with 46.34 per cent. About 348 people franchised their votes out of 751 voters.

All the polling stations of Tandur registered more than 50 per cent. The EVMs which were stored at strong room in Saint Marks High School of Tandur till Friday night were shifted to the strong room arranged in Agricultural Market Committee in Vikarabad through RTC buses with heavy security on Saturday. Returning officer Venu Madhava Rao monitored the process, along with assistant electoral officers.

Though the increase in poll percentage has been creating anxious moments among the main contenders, all of them have been exuding confident of winning the constituency. TRS nominee and caretaker Minister Patnam Mahender Reddy banks largely based on the development programmes and welfare schemes introduced during the four-and-a-half-year-old KCR rule. According to the party sources, his long-standing association with the constituency may award him the victory.

PF candidate Rohith Reddy, who got the ticket after joining the Congress, is resting his hopes on the possible anti-incumbency factor against the TRS government. NRI-turned-politician Patel Ravi Shankar, who is the BJP nominee in the fray, conducted door-to-door campaigns at various villages in the constituency and focused on explaining about central government sponsored schemes implemented in the constituency. BSP candidate Chandrasekhar Mudiraj highlighted Dr BR Ambedkar’s ideologies during his poll campaign.