Hyderabad: Municipal polls peaceful

Hyderabad: Amid continuous incidents of clashes between TRS, Congress and BJP workers and police lathicharge at many polling booths on the election day on Wednesday, more than 75 per cent voter turnout was recorded during the municipal elections held for 120 municipalities and 9 municipal corporations in Telangana.

The polling also witnessed good number of persons, including women who tried to cast bogus votes were arrested. Interestingly, the turnout in the poll-bound urban local bodies in the districts was high when compared to the vote percentage registered in the 2018 Assembly and the recently held Lok Sabha elections in Telangana.

Reports says, the highest voter turnout has been registered in Choutuppal municipality in Nalgonda district, followed by Adibhatla urban body which also registered more than 90 per cent turnout. Nizampet stood last with less than 45 per cent of the voters only cast their votes. State Election Commission officials said that a final figure on the total turnout will come out after getting the inputs from all municipalities.

The ruling TRS is confident of sweeping the municipal elections as the high turnout is a clear indication of support to the party while the BJP and Congress exuded confidence that the two parties will perform well in the urban elections.

Even as the state Additional Director-General of Police (ADG), Law and Order, Jitender claimed the elections were conducted peacefully, several skirmish incidents were reported. In a poll-related incident, Congress candidate Ilyas bit the nose of TRS candidate Imran contesting in Ward 32 in Bodhan municipality. Police said that Congress candidate assaulted Imran when the latter obstructed the Congress workers entering polling booth. With bleeding injuries, the victim was rushed to a local hospital. The police booked a case in the incident. The police resorted to lathicharge in several places when the workers of the different political parties tried to create law and order problem. Congress and TRS workers clashed. The Congress leaders caught two persons who came to cast bogus votes and beat them up. Police caned the group and arrested the bogus voters.

In Nizamabad municipal corporation, Congress and BJP workers jostled with each other. BJP MP D Arvind intervened when police arrested the ward contestant Vinod and demanded police action against the TRS leaders. He alleged that TRS leaders were misusing the power in collision with the police. As many as eight women were arrested in the corporation limits and another 10 in Macherial municipality when they came to cast bogus votes. The police also busted a bogus voter gang with fake identify cards in the Narsingi municipality. The police also arrested a Congress worker for distributing gold nose studs to the women voters at a polling booth in Kamareddy. Police seized 30 studs valued Rs 20,000.

Congress and MIM workers came to blows in the Gadwal and TRS activists were caught red-handed when they were allegedly distributing money to the voters. The police resorted to lathicharge in Bachupally, Miryalaguda and other sensitive poll-bound municipal areas.