Municipal elections:People brave heat to register 73.16 percent polling

Hyderabad: Barring stray violence, and reports of money and goodies being distributed, polling to 145 municipalities and 10 municipal corporations was by and large peaceful on Sunday. Re-polling will be conducted in six polling stations on Tuesday.

In the first statewide poll after bifurcation, an estimated 73.16 per cent of voters braved the summer heat and turned up at the booths.

Polling was held on party basis, providing political parties a dry run ahead of the general elections. The AP High Court is expected to decide on April 1, whether the results can be declared before the general elections on April 30 in Telangana and May 7 in Seemandhra.

Right from the allegations of distribution of cash to plasma TV sets and from ‘fake’ currency notes to liquor bottles to lure voters, the polls were marked with allegations and counter allegations. Police arrested two persons at Yelamanchili in the Visakhapatnam district for allegedly distributing money to
voters.

In Guntur, police arrested Congress leader P. Lakshma Reddy and his son Madhusudhana Reddy for smashing an EVM at Macherla town alleging that the YSRC was rigging the polls. Following this, officials set up another EVM and extended polling by an hour.

There was tension at Narasaraopet when YSRC leaders alleged rigging by TDP activists. Police resorted normalcy with a lathicharge. In Tenali, police seized Rs 18,000 that was being distributed near a polling booth.

In Eluru, a TDP supporter was arrested on charges of distributing money to voters.

A report from Nizamabad said many candidates distributed Rs 200 to women voters and Rs 500 to the youth.

Another report from Rajahmundry said the price for votes went up to Rs 15,000 and plasma TV sets were reportedly distributed in Mandapet, Rajahmundry, Ramachandapuram and Pithapuram.

In Vijayawada, a large number of voters found that their names were missing from the lists though they had voter ID cards.