Telangana municipal polls: About 49% of voter turnout
About 49 per cent of voters exercised their franchise till 1 PM on Wednesday in municipal elections in Telangana, which, according to officials, is an impressive turnout.
Voting was underway in 116 municipalities and seven municipal corporations, which is seen as a test of popularity for the ruling Congress and opposition BJP and BRS.
State Election Commissioner Rani Kumudini hoped that a good voting percentage would be recorded in the election and appealed to the voters to exercise their franchise. State Municipal Administration department secretary TK Sridevi said low voter turnouts are often seen in urban local bodies, but “impressive voter turnout is being seen in several municipalities now” due to voter awareness programmes and other efforts of the State Election Commission.
The polling process was peaceful except for scuffles between workers of rival groups at some places, State Additional DGP (law and order) Mahesh Bhagwat told PTI. The polling began at 7 AM and it progressed steadily as about 29 per cent voter turnout was witnessed till 11 AM, official sources said.
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy cast his vote at his assembly constituency of Kodangal in Vikarabad district, while Union Minister of State for Home Bandi Sanjay Kumar exercise his franchise in Karimnagar.
Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka voted at a polling booth in his assembly constituency of Madhira in Khammam district. Counting of votes would be taken up on February 13. After its major success in the gram panchayat elections in December last year, the ruling Congress aims to consolidate its position as the dominant player in state politics by scoring emphatic wins in the urban local bodies.
Hoping to emerge as a credible alternative to both the Congress and the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), the BJP conducted a spirited campaign in municipal polls.
Having suffered setbacks in the 2023 Assembly polls and 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BRS came up with a decent performance in the gram panchayat polls.
