What Was the Voter Turnout in Telangana's Jubilee Hills By-Election?
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Over 48% voter turnout in the Jubilee Hills by-election.
- Polling remained largely peaceful with minor incidents.
- Tensions arose from allegations of electoral misconduct.
- First-time use of drones for election monitoring.
- Results will be known on November 14.
Hyderabad, Nov 11 (NationPress) Over 48 percent of eligible voters participated in the by-election for the Jubilee Hills Assembly constituency in Hyderabad on Tuesday.
The Election Commission reported a voter turnout of 48.43 percent by 6 p.m., marking the end of polling.
However, as voters who were still in line at polling stations were permitted to vote, the final turnout figures will be confirmed once all reports from polling centers are compiled.
Despite a few minor incidents, the voting process remained peaceful across all 407 polling stations in the area.
Throughout the day, moderate voter engagement was evident in the constituency, which encompasses affluent Jubilee Hills as well as various middle-class and underprivileged neighborhoods in the city's core.
The final turnout is an improvement over the 47.58 percent recorded during the 2023 Assembly elections.
Approximately 400,000 voters were eligible to participate in this by-election, necessitated by the passing of the incumbent MLA, Maganti Gopinath of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS).
A total of 58 candidates are competing, with the main battle unfolding between the ruling Congress party, the BRS, and the BJP.
The BRS has nominated Gopinath’s spouse, Sunitha, while the Congress has fielded Naveen Yadav. The BJP has again put forward Lankala Deepak Reddy.
Vote counting is scheduled for November 14.
Tensions arose at several polling centers in the evening as BRS leaders, including candidate Sunitha, protested, claiming electoral fraud by the ruling party, leading to a heated exchange with police.
In the meantime, police have filed three cases against several individuals, including three Congress MLAs, for breaching the Model Code of Conduct (MCC).
Two cases were lodged at the Madhuranagar Police Station against current MLAs Beerla Ilaiah, Rama Chandra Naik, and Ramdas Maloth, all from Congress.
One case was filed at the Borabanda Police Station against former MLAs Dasyam Vinay Bhaskar and Methuku Anand, both from the opposition BRS.
The BRS has raised concerns with election officials regarding the presence of several legislators from the ruling party, who are perceived as outsiders, near polling stations.
They pointed out that Congress MLAs and MLCs had been in the constituency since Monday, yet the Election Commission has taken no action to remove them.
For the first time, drones were utilized for surveillance at all polling locations, with 150 drones deployed for centralized aerial monitoring and real-time situation assessment.
Hyderabad Police Commissioner V. C. Sajjanar oversaw the voting process through drones from the Integrated Police Command and Control Center.
Additionally, live webcasting was set up at all polling stations to ensure a smooth voting process and maintain law and order.