68% turnout as Telangana votes

Hyderabad: Around 68 per cent of voters turned out in Telangana to elect their first state government as well as 17 members of the Lok Sabha.

Though largely peaceful, the polling was marred by clashes between supporters of different political parties in the region.

More than 28 million people were eligible to vote in 119 assembly constituencies in the first phase of elections on Wednesday. The second phase of polling for the 25 Lok Sabha and 175 assembly constituencies in the Seemandhra region is scheduled for May 7.

Hyderabad registered the lowest turnout of around 55 per cent as most voters, especially in the educated middle class areas, preferred to stay home on a very hot and humid day.

Medak and Nalgonda recorded the highest rate, 74 per cent, followed by Warangal with 73 per cent

The average turnout was less than 2009, when 72.63 per cent of voters turned up.

“There are still people lined up in some of the polling stations and they will be allowed to cast their votes, however long it takes,” state Chief Electoral Officer Bhanwar Lal said.

Though this was the first election in Telangana state, which will be formally inaugurated on June 2, the excitement of electing the first government of a separate state was evident only in northern Telangana districts.

It was completely missing in the state capital Hyderabad where the Telangana sentiments were never strong.

“I am very happy to cast my vote in our state of Telangana,” said Telangana Rashtra Samiti President K. Chandrashekhar Rao who cast his vote in Chintamadaka village of Medak where he was contesting both the assembly and Lok Sabha elections.

He was confident that the TRS was going to sweep the elections and form the state government on its own.

The elections were a triangular fight between TRS, Congress and TDP-BJP alliance with the first two parties emerging as the front runners.

There were clashes in Kodangal in Mahbubnagar, Khammam rural, L. B. Nagar, Amberpet and Rajindernagar forcing the police to intervene and use force to disperse the groups.

In Yakutpura constituency of Hyderabad’s old city, police took the rival candidates of Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) and Majlis Bachao Tehreek, Mumtaz Ahmad Khan and Farhatulla Khan, after their supporters clashed over the alleged rigging.

Polling officers at two stations in the constituency were also suspended.

In Kodangal workers of TDP and Congress clashed in the presence of the candidates whille in L.B. Nagar members from the same parties attacked each other.

In Malkajgiri Lok Sabha constituency, police faced a tricky situation as former Director-General of Police and YSR Congress President V. Dinesh Reddy created a stir by entering a polling station and arguing with officials after his agent was detained for allegedly canvassing inside the booth.

Senior police officials rushed and persuaded him to go back.

In Sricilal assembly constituency, residents of Peddur village protested against the alleged high-handed behaviour of some police officers by sitting on the road.

They demanded that the inspector be suspended.

Meanwhile, voters boycotted elections in some areas.

Six hundred voters in Bhojyanayak Tanda, in the Tandur assembly constituency of Ranga Reddy district, boycotted voting in protest against a lack of basic amenities.

Similarly voters in Raju Palem village under Vyra assembly constituency of Khammam district also boycotted over failure of the elected representatives in solving their problems.