Stage set for Dubbak bypoll

Polling will be held from 7 am to 6 pm at 315 polling stations and the administration has made all the arrangements in compliance with Covid-19 norms

Hyderabad: The stage is set for the by-poll to Dubbak Assembly constituency on Tuesday, with expectations of a good turnout despite the fear of Covid-19. In all, there are 1.98 lakh voters in the constituency. Polling will be held from 7 am to 6 pm at 315 polling stations and the administration has made all the arrangements in compliance with Covid-19 norms, such as thermal screening, physical distancing, ensuring masks and gloves besides tight security measures.

Though there are 23 candidates in the fray including 15 independents, it will be a triangular fight between Solipeta Sujatha (TRS), Cheruku Srinivas Reddy (Congress) and and M Raghunandan Rao (BJP).

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Considering the sudden spurt of poll-related events that could have an impact on polling day, the police are taking no chances. The district police have imposed section 144 and have identified 89 polling stations as sensitive, 33 as very sensitive and have made arrangements accordingly by summoning central forces in addition to 2,000 strong State police force.

A total of 400 polling officers, 400 assistant police officers and 800 additional staff have been deployed for smooth polling. The district administration also shut down all liquor shops from Sunday evening itself.

While only 1,000 voters have been allotted to each polling station, Covid patients will be allowed to vote during the last one hour of polling and voters will be provided gloves to cast their votes. However, all the voters will have to mandatorily wear masks. While webcasting will be streamed from 104 polling stations, all polling stations have also been geo-tagged.

TRS favourite

The ruling TRS has left no stone unturned during the campaign. The party is banking on its people-centric programmes such as social welfare schemes, incentives to agriculture sector, irrigation projects and above all the credibility of Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao. State Finance Minister T Harish Rao who represents Siddipet Assembly constituency, was given the entire responsibility of campaign.

Harish Rao exposed the false promises made by the BJP which came to power in 1999 with the promise of “one vote for two States”. He also succeeded in guiding party cadres to stay calm even as BJP tried to create tension by alleging that police tried to stash cash in Raghunandan Rao’s relative’s house in Siddipet.

A flashpoint was averted with the TRS cadre observing patience and the police coming out with irrefutable evidence on the source of the cash.

Raghunandan Rao has been on the backfoot on account of three cases of cash seizures linked to him. Cyberabad Police, who seized Rs 40 lakh unaccounted cash at Shameerpet, found that the persons transporting the cash were followers of the BJP candidate.

The biggest embarrasment for the national party was the seizure of Rs 18.67 lakh in cash from the residence of Surabhi Anjan Rao, a close relative of Raghunandan Rao in Siddipet town amid high drama.

On the last day of campaign on Sunday, Surabhi Srinivas Rao, brother-in-law of the BJP candidate, was arrested right in the heart of the city with unaccounted cash of Rs 1 crore meant for distribution in the constituency.

The impact of the mismanaged BJP campaign reflected on party’s star campaigner Kishan Reddy’s election meetings. Despite Kishan Reddy’s claim of a silent revolution in Dubbak, empty chairs greeted him at his public meetings.

Congress, meanwhile, has been banking heavily on the legacy of the son of the soil Cheruku Muthyam Reddy, having fielded his son Srinivas Reddy. The party also tried to portray the elections as semifinals before the next Assembly elections.

The lacklustre campaign of Congress was led by TPCC chief N Uttam Kumar Reddy and CLP leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, and party MP A Revanth Reddy who were stationed at Siddipet and Dubbak.

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