Nizamabad: The Nizamabad Urban Assembly constituency reported the lowest turnout in Parliament elections this time. Of the seven Assembly constituencies, Balkonda topped the polling with a 74.75 per cent turnout and Nizamabad Urban polled 61.83 per cent.
As usual, urban voters did not show much interest in the polls. The voting percentage in the minority areas also decreased this time.
The Election Commission’s efforts to get the maximum voters to polling booths failed.
Under the Nizamabad LS constituency, Nizamabad Urban is an exclusive urban assembly segment. Before the delimitation of the assembly constituency, Nizamabad had 19 villages in the Nizamabad mandal. After delimitation, Nizamabad turned into an exclusively urban constituency, which covers Nizamabad municipal corporation limits.
Nizamabad has been the district headquarters for more than a century and it has a population of around five lakh urbanites. Many people came and settled down in the town for education, employment, and other needs areas in the undivided Nizamabad district.
The minority population is sizable in the town. Muslims from neighbouring Bhainsa, Bhokar, Nanded, Biloli, etc came and set up homes in the town.
To garner the support of voters, the Congress, BJP and BRS leaders conducted the intensified campaign in all 60 municipal divisions. In the last assembly elections, the polling was at 61.67 per cent in Nizamabad urban. The trend continued in the LS polls this time.
Of the total 3,04,317 votes, 1,88,159 votes (61.83 per cent) were polled in the town.
Congress leaders focussed both on majority and minority voters. Party leaders in Nizamabad approached Muslim elders and others and sought their support in favour of the LS candidate T Jeevan Reddy.
BJP’s LS candidate Arvind Dharmapuri, also concentrated on Nizamabad urban assembly constituency and encouraged the party cadre to work hard in sensitive polling stations. Both BJP and Congress leaders are confident of a win.
