Munugode records 91% polling; top guns await Super Sunday

HYDERABAD: About 86 per cent of the 2.41 lakh electorate turned out to vote in the byelection for the Munugode Assembly seat on Thursday, according to Chief Electoral Officer Vikas Raj. The figure is likely to be revised as late data is compiled.

For a comparison, Munugode had recorded 82.15 per cent polling in the general election of 2014, and 91.3 in 2018. In the recent byelections, Dubbak recorded 82.61 per cent, Huzurabad 86.33 and Nagarjunasagar, 88 per cent.

With the votes in the box, the public bravado of their impending victory notwithstanding, leaders of the TRS, BJP and the Congress — who believe that their future in Telangana rides on the outcome of the byelection nervously settled down for a two-day wait for ‘Super Sunday’ of November 6 when the votes cast by some two-lakh-and-odd voters in Munugode would be counted.

The TRS and the BJP leaders throughout the day predicted their success, and at times expressed their hopes that sometimes swung high and at times swung low that reflected the waves in which voters turned up at the 298 polling stations in the constituency.

Particularly nervous was the BJP, which had to face the onslaught of 100 TRS leaders that included ministers, MLAs and MLCs. There were enough murmurs in the party circles that indicated that the election would end up being a hard run to make it to the tape.

Most of the exit polls predicted a win for the TRS with the BJP coming second with the Congress in the third place. Consistently coming in fourth place was the BSP, the last of the nationally recognised political parties in the fray.

One exit poll placed the TRS on the top saying the party would get anywhere between 48  and 51 per cent of the votes, while a couple of others said the TRS would get between 41  and 43 per cent. These surveys also said that the BJP would get between 31  and 36 per cent per cent of the vote, while the BSP would get anywhere three to seven per cent.

The rest of the candidates in the 47-contestant field, between them, would get between 2.5 and seven per cent, the exit polls predicted. Only one survey placed the BJP on top, followed by the TRS and the Congress.

Chief Electoral Officer Vikas Raj said that the day had passed off peacefully. There were some minor issues related to the voting machines that were addressed and resolved almost immediately.

There were no major incidents of violence. The result will be declared on Sunday.

Speaking to media persons, chief electoral officer (CEO) Vikas Raj said that EVMs were being shifted to a strong room at a warehouse in Nalgonda. Counting staff and micro counting observers were fully equipped with all the required training.

“Micro counting observers will be stationed at each of the tables. Postal ballots will be taken up simultaneously,” he explained.

The CEO said that officials had received 98 complaints till 5 pm about the presence of outsiders in the constituency. Seventy persons were identified after ‘intensive combing’ and sent out.

“I was in constant touch with the SP, CP, DO and Nodal police officers regarding this. We kept the entire focus on sending them out,” he said.

During the morning hours, three EVMs (full sets) were replaced after technical glitches cropped up, apart from four VVPAT machines. A total of 6100 litres of liquor was seized, following 599 raids conducted by excise department officials. Around 191 FIRs were registered in this regard.

Apart from this Rs 8.27 crore of 'material', including cash and gold was also seized.