Munugode under thick security blanket

Hyderabad: An elaborate security blanket has been put in place in the Munugode Assembly constituency for the byelections, with hundreds of police officers and teams from the CRPF, CISF, and RAF delegated to keep a close vigil to prevent any untoward incident and ensure a trouble-free election.

During a press conference on Wednesday, Rachakonda police commissioner Mahesh Bhagwat stated that the police have made foolproof security arrangements to ensure free and fair voting in the Munugode constituency. He said that police teams conducting vehicle checks at border checkpoints seized Rs 4 crore in cash, 1,000 litres of liquor, 3.5 kilos of gold, and 11.5 kilos of ganja.

"We are providing support and cooperation to the election authorities for the election process to be smooth and peaceful. Security has been beefed up in key polling locations,” he said. The Rachakonda Police Commissionerate has jurisdiction over the Munugode Assembly constituency's Choutuppal and Narayanpur mandals. These two mandals encompass 82 polling locations and 122 of the total 298 polling stations.

As part of the security arrangements, a route mobile striking force, special striking force, special surveillance teams, and flying squad teams will operate actively in the constituency. A dedicated control room has been established to monitor polling location security, and staff has been instructed to strengthen security at 16 polling locations and 35 polling stations identified as critical, Bhagwat added.

Liquor stores will be closed from November 1 at 6 p.m. to November 3 at 3 p.m., and anyone caught illegally selling or supplying liquor on election day will face penalties.  "We have an IT team dedicated to monitoring the situation in real time. Mobile phones are not permitted at polling stations, and taking selfies and disclosing who they voted for on social media platforms will attract penalties,” he said.