Hyderabad: Fewer voters turned up to exercise their franchise in the state Assembly polls this year, with the Election Commission of India recording a turnout of 70.6 per cent tentatively at the end of voting at 5 pm on Thursday, lower than 73.2 per cent in 2018 and 69.5 per cent in 2014.
The number may rise further as long queues were witnessed at several polling stations after 5 pm. The ECI will finalise the turnout on Friday.
The counting of votes will take place on December 3 and the results will be declared the same day. There were 2,290 contestants in the fray, including Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao, who is seeking an unprecedented third term. ministers K.T. Rama Rao, T. Harish Rao, TPCC chief A. Revanth Reddy and BJP MPs Bandi Sanjay and D. Arvind.
The BRS has fielded candidates in all 119 seats, the Congress contested 118 seats and left one seat to its ally, CPI, while the BJP contested 111 seats and left eight seats to Jana Sena. The AIMIM put up candidates from nine seats in Hyderabad.
While the voting exercise was largely peaceful, there were some minor clashes and scuffles reported from multiple constituencies. Election officials took immediate action to clamp down on such incidents, in coordination with district administrations.
Officials said most disturbances were clashes between BRS and Congress workers, reported from polling booths in Jangaon, Nagarkurnool, Kamareddy, Ibrahimpatnam, Miryalguda, Kothagudem and Palair . In all instances, police caned the clashing workers to control the situation.
On the day, the ECI was approached by Congress, which filed multiple complaints of poll violation against BRS leaders.
Among those who were charged by the Congress were MLC K. Kavitha, who called on people to vote for the BRS and car symbol in a sound byte after casting her vote, and minister A. Indrakaran Reddy, who went to his polling station in Nirmal wearing a BRS scarf. The BJP also approached the ECI complaining about the police being “silent spectators” to alleged electoral malpractices by representatives of the BRS at polling stations.
State BJP chief G. Kishan Reddy, in a complaint, alleged that the police were allowing BRS leaders to move in groups of 100-200 people and attacking BJP cadres when they complained about it.
In Bodhan town of Nizamabad, BRS and Congress leaders clashed, prompting police intervention. In Khanapur village of Ibrahmipatnam constituency, the police lathi-charged clashing BRS and Congress workers. Some party workers were also detained.
