Polling underway in Hyderabad for high-profile GHMC polls

Hyderabad: Polling is underway for the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) election, that witnessed a high-voltage campaign among the ruling TRS, opposition Congress, the TDP-BJP combine and MIM.

The polling started at 7 am and would continue till 5 pm. Nearly 72 lakh voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in about 7,000 polling stations.

There are 150 divisions (wards) in the GHMC limits, which covers 24 Assembly segments in Telangana. About 1,300 candidates are in the fray.

About 40,000 security personnel and others have been roped-in to see that no untoward incident takes place. Web casting of polling process is also being done.

Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya, Telangana IT and Panchayatraj Minister K T Rama Rao, popular film actor and AP TDP MLA N Balakrishna, his son-in-law and TDP general secretary N Lokesh, who is the son of AP Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, Naidu's wife N Bhuvaneswari were among the prominent persons who exercised their franchise early in the morning.

The counting of votes would be taken up on Friday.

The electioneering for the GHMC resembled a Legislative Assembly poll with senior leaders from all major parties hitting the streets months before the polling.

Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari, M Venkaiah Naidu, Radha Mohan Singh, Prakash Javadekar, Hansraj Ahir and Bandaru Dattatreya were among those who campaigned for the candidates of the BJP-TDP alliance.

TDP president and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who takes credit for turning the city into an IT hub, canvassed for the alliance candidates for two days.

AICC General Secretary Digvijay Singh and Telangana Congress leaders took part in the campaign for the party.

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, his son and state IT and Panchayatraj Minister K T Rama Rao undertook a vigorous campaign to wrest the civic body in the metropolis.

MIM president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi was the star campaigner for his party.