Polling concludes peacefully, Telangana sees 61.39% turnout

However, urban areas especially Hyderabad, Secunderabad and Malakajgiri parliamentary constituencies witnessed a lukewarm response from voters recording a poor poll percentage.

Hyderabad: Polling for the 17 Lok Sabha seats and bypoll for the Secunderabad Cantonment Assembly segment in Telangana concluded peacefully at 6 pm on Monday. The approximate voter turnout was recorded at 61.39 per cent by 8 pm in the State.

Several voters who stood in queues before polling hours ended were allowed to cast their votes. The final voting percentage is expected to be released only on Tuesday. After a high-decibel campaign, polling began at 7 am amid tight security and concluded by 6 pm.

---

Polling in 14 Assembly segments falling in Adilabad, Peddapalli, Warangal, Mahbubabad and Khammam Lok Sabha constituencies categorised as left-wing extremist segme nts came to an end at 4 pm.

People woke up to cool weather in peak summer in most parts of the State on Monday and tuned up in large numbers to cast their votes in the initial hours.

However, urban areas, especially Hyderabad, Secunderabad and Malakajgiri parliamentary constituencies witnessed a lukewarm response from voters recording poor turnout.

s per the latest reports, Medak recorded the highest poll percentage of 73.16 per cent, followed by 72.48 per cent in Zaheerabad. Hyderabad witnessed the lowest poll percentage of just 39.17 per cent, followed by 42.48 per cent in Secunderabad and 47.74 per cent in Malkajgiri.

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, accompanied by his family members, cast his vote at a polling booth in Kodangal in the Mahabubnagar constituency.

Leader of Opposition and BRS president K Chandrashekhar Rao along with his wife cast his vote in his native village of Chintamadaka in Siddipet district under the Medak Lok Sabha constituency.

BRS working president KT Rama Rao along with his family including his son and first-time voter Himanshu cast votes in Nandinagar of Hyderabad constituency. Meanwhile, voters staged protests by boycotting voting at Kanumukkala in Yadadri Bhongir, in protest against the government for not purchasing rain-soaked paddy. Similar incidents were reported in villages of Adilabad, Nizamabad and Khammam constituencies, with voters boycotting the polling.

They demanded a solution for issues ranging from power cuts, road connectivity and the release of funds. They withdrew the protests and cast their votes only after the officials promised to resolve their problems. Sporadic incidents were reported in Nizamabad, Zaheerabad and Hyderabad parliamentary constituencies.

A video went viral on social media, where Zaheerabad Congress candidate Suresh Shetkar’s brother Nagesh Shetkar, who was a polling agent, was seen kicking a voter for reasons unknown, triggering criticism.

In Nizamabad, BJP candidate D Arvind had a heated argument with the polling staff, demanding them to ask some burqa-clad women remove their veil and verify their identity with their identity cards.

He alleged that the staff were allowing the voters without verifying their identity. Hyderabad BJP candidate K Madhavi Latha landed herself in trouble after the Malakpet police registered cases against her for demanding burga-clad women to show their faces to verify their identity.

Another case was registered against her in Mangalhat police station for obstructing the police from arresting two other BJP leaders and taking away dummy EVMs that were seized earlier after being allegedly used to manipulate voters in the locality.

Earlier, the mock polling was held at 5:30 am, the actual polling began at 7 am, an official said. Though there were reports of non-functioning of EVMs in a few places, the election staff swung into action and replaced them immediately to ensure smooth voting.

In all, 525 candidates are in the fray for all Lok Sabha seats in the State. Secunderabad constituency has a maximum number of candidates at 45, while Adilabad (ST) constituency has the lowest number at 12. The counting of votes will be taken up on June 4 nationwide.

The State recorded 62.11 per cent turnout in the 2019 Parliamentary elections. The BRS (then TRS) won nine seats, BJP secured four, Congress got three and AIMIM bagged one seat in 2019