Hyderabad: The Hyderabad Lok Sabha seat, which normally draws highest national attention, particularly in the Hindi belt, during the elections because of its sensitive nature, has grabbed the attention of punters in Phalodi satta bazaar in Rajasthan.
Phalodi is known as the nerve centre of election-related betting as also wagering on cricket and rains. The bookies of Phalodi, it is claimed, rarely get their election predictions wrong. It was said that the Phalodi market had provided accurate figures in the recent Assembly elections in four states including Telangana. The satta bazaar, it was said, predicted an outcome contrary to what most exit polls had predicted for Chhattisgarh.
The market opens at around 11 am every day with the rates decided one hour prior and operates till around 5 pm. People place bets mostly over the phone and the winners receive their bounty through UPI accounts.
A punter from Hyderabad, who did not want to be identified, said that many betters mainly from Begum Bazaar and Siddiamber Bazaar, had bet crores of rupees on the outcome of the polling to the Hyderabad Lok Sabha seat, where MIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi is seeking is fifth victory and is facing a challenge from BJP candidate Kompella Madhvi Latha.
It was said that this time, the campaign by Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma in support of Madhavi Latha in the Old City may have drawn the attention of the Phalodi bazaar.
