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Telangana turns up in numbers to cast crucial vote
About 56 per cent polling was reported in the by elections to 12 assembly constituencies in Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh.
Highest polling of 64 per cent per cent was recorded in Huzurabad constituency in Karimnagar district while the lowest polling was recorded at 45 per cent in Nizamabad Urban, State Chief Electoral Officer I V Subba Rao told media persons in Hyderabad.
The by-polls have been necessitated as the sitting MLAs had quit their posts in support of separate Telangana demand.
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Moderate turnout for crucial Telangana by-polls
For the first time after 1998, ballot papers staged a comeback in the by-polls.
With the total number of candidates exceeding the maximum limit of 64 for an Electronic Voting Machine, the EC was forced to conduct the polling with ballot papers in five constituencies. EVMs cannot be used with the existing technology if the total number of nominees is over 64.
Consequently, ballot boxes are being used in Yellareddy, Koratla, Sircilla, Huzurabad and Warangal West, while it is EVMs as usual in Sirpur, Chennur (Scheduled Caste), Mancherial, Nizamabad Urban, Dharmapuri (SC), Vemulawada and Siddipet.
State Congress president D Srinivas, TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao's son K T Rama Rao are among the prominent candidates who are in fray for the polls.
Moderate turnout for crucial Telangana by-polls
The total number of electors in the 12 assembly segments is 23,59,228 that includes 11,75,117 men and 11,84,111 women.
According to state Chief Electoral Officer I V Subba Rao, 1,582 EVMs and 1,201 ballot boxes are being used for polling. The total number of polling stations is 2,783.
The total number of contesting candidates is 435 that includes 72 in seven seats where EVMs are being used and 363 in five segments where polling is on with ballot papers.
The EC has identified 450 polling stations as hyper-sensitive and 460 as sensitive. In addition to available district police forces, 80 companies of Central Para-Military Forces are providing security to the exercise.
Rao said 12 Central observers and 2,783 micro-observers would oversee the polling process. The number of polling officers is 13,915.
Moderate turnout for crucial Telangana by-polls
For the first time, the CEO has provided 3G mobile phones to polling officials in Nizamabad and Warangal to obtain quick footage on polling.
The counting of votes will be taken up on July 30. The Telangana movement, which had gone quiet after a major outburst, is expected to gain momentum once the results of these by-elections to 12 seats are out.
The by-polls to the 12 seats are being held after 12 legislators supporting the Telangana movement resigned from their seats in support of the movement. Of the 12 seats, 10 were in possession of the Telangana Rashtra Samiti while Bharatiya Janata Party and Telugu Desam Party had the other two.