70% turnout in ‘peaceful’ T’gana civic body polls

POlling for the municipal elections in Telangana concluded on wed, with around 70% of the voters exercising their dealership boulder clay 5 pm, tell election direction officials said.State election commissioner Rani Kumudini said that the polling, which began on a dull note in the morning, picked up in the afternoon. “By 3 pm, the poll percentage touched 62%. All those who were in queues at the time of closure of polling at 5 pm were allowed to cast their votes,” she said.Amid a few scattered incidents of tension and clashes in some areas, polling was largely peaceful, officials said.Elections were conducted across the state for seven municipal corporations and 116 municipalities. A total of 5.21 million voters, including 2.56 million male and 2.68 million female voters, were expected to cast their vote. In order to facilitate voting, the authorities have set up 8,191 polling stations across the state.A total of 16,031 ballot boxes were used in the municipal elections. As part of security and storage measures, 137 strong rooms have been prepared for the safekeeping of ballot boxes, the officials said.The SEC said counting of votes will be taken up at 8 am on Friday at 136 counting centres across the state. The elections for the posts of mayor and deputy mayor in municipal corporations, and chairperson and vice-chairperson in municipalities, will be held on February 16.The polling witnessed sporadic incidents of clashes. In Karimnagar, police resorted to lathi charge to disperse Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers who had gathered near the Zilla Parishad office. Six BJP activists sustained injuries in the incident. Protesting against the police action, BJP workers staged a sit-in on the main road, alleging bogus voting in the 58th division. They questioned the rationale of police resorting to force, alleging them of indifference towards their complaints.Altercation was also reported at a polling station in Ward 34 of Sangareddy town. Senior Congress leader T Jagga Reddy alleged that the official on duty had collared the candidate from his party contesting from the ward.Jagga Reddy attempted to enter the polling booth, followed by him indulging in an altercation with the police. He accused the concerned police official of being part of the alleged rigging of polls in favour of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) candidate. The Congress leader warned that his party would boycott the election if the officer was not suspended.Minor tension prevailed in the 14th and 15th wards of Nagarkurnool municipality, where a verbal altercation broke out between former MLA Marri Janardhan Reddy and police inspector Ashok Reddy.In Narsampet’s 24th ward, police caught BRS leaders allegedly distributing cash to voters. In Khammam, tension erupted near a polling booth in Jalagam Nagar, Edulapuram, where Congress and BRS workers clashed. BRS activists report``edly resisted police intervention, leading to heated arguments between the police and party workers.In Ward 7 of Ramayampet municipality, Congress leaders accused BJP workers of distributing money, which led to minor clashes between the two groups until police intervened and dispersed them.In Bodhan municipality of Nizamabad district, clashes occurred between Congress and BRS workers, leading to a scuffle that was eventually brought under control by police.A dispute over alleged bogus voting led to tension during polling in Parigi municipality. A clash broke out at Polling Station 27 in Ward 13 after a Congress agent objected to suspected fake voting and demanded that a voter be sent out.Heated arguments followed between Congress and BRS leaders, and police removed all those involved in the altercation from the polling station. Ward 13 is among five polling stations identified as sensitive in the area.Similar incidents were also reported in Mahabubabad, where members from both the Congress and the BRS allegedly attacked each other. Police intervened and dispersed the groups, and additional forces were deployed in the ward to maintain law and order.