Two warring villages bury hatchet for Munugode vote

HYDERABAD: Locals in Choutuppal mandal's Koyyalagudem and Ellambavi, who had serious disagreements about carving out the latter as a new gram panchayat from the former, surprised many by not attempting to exploit the issue in the Munugode bypoll.

The Koyyalagudem villagers objected to carving out Ellambavi village by annexing National Highway No. 65. Locals in Koyyalagudem boycotted the gram panchayat elections twice in protest of the Ellambavi taking over their land.

People of both villages staged dharnas and rallies against each other, making their respective demands. However, the voters of two villages actively participated in the byelections while burying the old hatchet.  "The leaders of all political parties promised to settle the issue after the polls," said P. Markandeya, a resident of Koyyagudem.

“Koyyalagudem is known for its classic weaving designs, and we were disturbed by the new gram panchayat," he said.

People from both villages turned up in large numbers, with both villages reporting a 60 per cent turn-out by 3pm. "It is true that the locals of both gram panchayats fought against each other, and such a gap did not show in the Munugode bypoll," said Laxma Reddy, BJP leader of Ellambavi.