Municipal polls: 82.30 percent voter turnout in Khammam, 73.33 percent in Kothagudem

The municipal elections in Khammam and Kothagudem districts witnessed a strong voter turnout, with over 82 percent polling in Khammam and 73 percent in Kothagudem by 5 pm. Voting, initially slow, gained momentum by afternoon across municipalities such as Edulapuram, Sathupalli, Madhira, Kallur and Wyra.

Khammam: About 82.30 percent polling was recorded in Khammam’s five municipalities while 73.33 percent was recorded in Kothagudem’s three urban local bodies by 5 pm, said election officials.

Voting in Edulapuram, Sathupalli, Madhira, Kallur and Wyra municipalities in Khammam was slow during early hours and picked up momentum by 1 pm as 59.41 percent votes were polled by that time. At 3 pm the cumulative percent of votes was 72.93.

By 5 pm 85.35 percent voting was recorded in Edulapuram, 77.44 percent in Sathupalli, 77.88 percent in Madhira, 86.97 in Kallur and 83.6 percent was recorded in Wyra. District Collector Anudeep Durishetty and Commissioner of Police Sunil Dutt inspected different polling stations to monitor the election process.

As many as 240 polling stations were set up in 116 municipal wards in the district. Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka cast his vote at Indira Dairy polling station in the ninth ward of Madhira Municipality.

In Kothagudem Municipal Corporation 74.19 percent voting was recorded by 5 pm while 76.20 percent voting was recorded in Aswaraopet Municipality and 68.44 percent votes were polled in Yellandu Municipality.

District Collector Jitesh V Patil informed that voters who were in queue lines by 5 pm were allowed to vote even after polling time was over. The elections were conducted peacefully in 288 polling stations set up in 106 wards in the three urban local bodies of the district, he said.