Hyderabad: Despite it being a Sunday and the day temperatures being considerably high, many turned up in good numbers to cast their votes in Hyderabad-Rangareddy-Mahabubagar Graduates constituency MLC elections.
With the voter turnout being meagre early in the day, especially in Hyderabad, there were apprehensions about the poll percentage crossing the previous elections percentage of 39.09 in the constituency. However, as the day progressed, there was a steady rise in the voter turnout and many were seen standing in the queue, even after the scheduled time of 4 pm. The poll percentage recorded till 4 pm in the constituency was 59.96.
Though the poll percentage was remarkably high, officials said there were no untoward incidents and polling passed peacefully.
Dispelling the notions that literates do not come out to vote, graduates in Hyderabad and neighbouring Ranga Reddy and Medchal, were seen standing in good numbers in the queues at different polling booths. Despite the high day temperature, the voters patiently waited for their turn to cast vote while maintaining physical distance and following the Covid guidelines.
Karthik, a finance company employee said he had not witnessed a jumbo ballot paper and he had to search for the preferred candidate. “I was not aware that there are so many contestants until I came to polling booth. Initially, I was bit confused while searching the contestants names and I had to fold it several times to put in the jumbo ballot box,” he said.
A first time voter, Srinivas said that it is his right to vote and elect a right candidate in the elections. “I missed the opportunity to vote in GHMC elections. Since it is a graduates elections, I decided to exercise my franchise and postponed my personal works,” he said.
Encouraging response
The approximate poll percentage of 59.96 is a significant increase than the previous elections which stood at 39.90 per cent.
Having been criticised as laidback in turning up to cast their votes in elections, Hyderabadis sought to get rid off this tag in the Sunday elections. While, the tentative poll percentage in Hyderabad district was 52.76 per cent, in Ranga Reddy it was 57.62 and Medchal it was 61.45 per cent.
This is also considerably higher than the poll percentage recorded in the recent Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation elections (46.55 per cent), Assembly elections in 2018 (39.49 per cent) and Parliament elections in 2019 (44.75 per cent).
Regular awareness programmes by State Election Commission and constant appeals from political parties and leaders seem to have influenced the voters in the city. At a few meetings in the run up to MLC elections, TRS working president KT Rama Rao had particularly appealed to voters not to consider polling day as a holiday and cast their vote as priority. “One will have a right to question only if he or she cast their vote,” he had said.
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