Jubilee Hills: Tense contest on cards as over 4 lakh voters head to polling booths amid tight security

The Jubilee Hills bypoll is expected to see over four lakh voters in a high-stakes contest. Polling will be held under tight security, featuring first-time colour photos on EVMs, drones for surveillance, and enhanced personnel deployment for smooth voting

Hyderabad: The Jubilee Hills bypoll, which will go down in the State capital’s political history as one of the most high-stakes and closely fought elections of recent times, will see over four lakh voters exercise their franchise on Tuesday. With political prestige on the line for all parties, particularly the ruling Congress, the contest has drawn intense attention and witnessed a high-voltage campaign over the last few weeks before concluding on Sunday.

The run-up to the bypoll was marred by allegations of electoral malpractice, with the BRS relentlessly pursuing the election authorities to act against the Congress, which it said was involved in cash distribution, inducements and multiple attempts to influence voters. While the impact of the caste and religious equations that the Congress brought into play will be known only on November 14, Tuesday will also see the constituency’s sizeable film industry workforce heading to the booths. Whether the voter turnout, something that Jubilee Hills does not have a great record to boast of, will show any impressive change also will be known by Tuesday evening.

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On the other hand, to ensure a peaceful and smooth polling process, the election will be held under tight security. In addition to heavy deployment of police personnel, drones will be used for aerial surveillance to monitor proceedings and maintain order, a first-of-its-kind security measure in Telangana. GHMC and police authorities have made elaborate arrangements across all 407 polling stations, supported by a three-tier security system.

On Monday, 2,394 ballot units, 561 controlling units and 595 VVPATs were shifted under police escort from the strongrooms at Kotla Vijaya Bhaskara Reddy Stadium in Yousufguda to the polling stations. The shifting of EVMs was supervised by District Election Officer RV Karnan and Joint CP Tafseer Iqbal.

To facilitate hassle-free voting, 2,060 polling personnel, including Presiding Officers, Assistant Presiding Officers and Polling Officers, have been deployed. Webcasting facilities have been arranged at all the 407 polling stations, operational from 7 am to 6 pm to ensure transparency and real-time monitoring.

EVM ballot papers with colour photos

For the first time, voters in the Jubilee Hills bypoll will see colour photographs of candidates on EVM ballot papers. A total of 58 candidates are in the fray, and each EVM will display colour images with three-fourths of the allotted space occupied by the candidates’ photographs for better visibility.

Jubilee Hills bypoll – At a glance:

Candidates in fray: 58
Total voters: 4,01,365
Male: 2,08,561
Female: 1,92,779
Service Electors: 18
Overseas Electors: (NRI) 123
PwD electors: 1,908
18-19 age group: 6,859
Voters aged 85: 2,134

Polling Schedule:
7 am to 6 pm

Accepted 12 alternative Photo IDs:

-Aadhar Card
-MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) Job Card
-Passbook with photograph issued by Bank or Post Office
-Health Insurance Smart Card issued by Ministry of Labour or Ayushman Bharat Health Card
-Driving Licence
-PAN Card
-Smart Card issued by Registrar General of India under National Population Register (NPR)
-Indian Passport issued by the Ministry of External Affairs
-Pension document with photograph
-Service Identity Card with photograph issued to employees by Central/State govt, PSUs, or Public Limited Companies
-Official Identity Cards issued to MPs/MLAs/MLCs
-Unique Disability ID (UDID) issued by Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment