Around 68% electorate exercised their franchise in Telangana to elect their first State Government as well as 17 members of lok Sabha. Though largely peaceful, the polling was marred by the clashes between supporters of different political parties at some places in the region.
In all, 2.81 crore people were eligible to cast their votes in 119 Assembly constituencies in the first phase of elections on Wednesday. The second phase of polling for 25 lok Sabha and 175 Assembly constituencies in Seemandhra region is scheduled for May 7. Hyderabad registered the lowest polling of around 55% as most of the voters specially in the educated middle class areas preferred to stay at home on a very hot and humid day.
Medak and Nalgonda recorded the highest voting of 74% followed by Warangal with 73%. The turnout was less than 2009 when 72.63% voting was recorded. “There are still people lined up in some of the polling stations and they will be allowed to cast their votes no matter how long it takes,” State Chief Electoral Officer Bhanwar lal said.
Though this was the first election in Telangana, which will be formally inaugurated on June 2, the excitement of electing the first Government of a separate State was visible only in northern Telangana districts. It was completely missing in Hyderabad where the Telangana sentiments were never strong.
“I am very happy to cast my vote in our State of Telangana,” said Telangana Rashtra Samiti president K Chandrashekar Rao who cast his vote in Chintamadaka village of Medak where he is contesting both the Assembly and lok Sabha elections. He is confident that the TRS will to sweep the elections and form the State Government on its own.
The elections are a triangular fight between the TRS, the Congress and the TDP-BJP alliance with the first two parties emerging as the front runners.
Kodangal in Mahbubnagar, Khammam rural, lB Nagar, Amberpet and Rajindernagar witnessed the group clashes forcing the police to intervene and use force to disperse the groups.
In Yakutpura constituency of Hyderabad’s old city, police took the rival candidates of Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) and Majlis Bachao Tehreek Mumtaz Ahmad Khan and Farhatulla Khan after their supporters clashed over the alleged rigging. Polling officers of two booths in the constituency were also put under suspension. In Kodangal workers of the TDP and the Congress clashed in the presence of the candidates. In lB Nagar also TDP and Congress workers attacked each other.
In Malkajgiri lok Sabha constituency, the police faced a tricky situation as the former Director General of Police and YSR Congress president V Dinesh Reddy created a stir by entering in to a polling station and argued with the officials after his agent was detained as he was canvassing inside the booth.
In Sricilal Assembly constituency people of Peddur village staged a protest by sitting on the road against the highhanded behavior of police. They wanted the inspector to be suspended for police lathi charge without any reason.