GHMC polls: 30% polling till 1 pm

An estimated 30 per cent of voters exercised their franchise till 1 pm in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) election on Monday.

The turnout of voters was about 18 per cent till 11 am and rose up to 30 per cent by 1 pm, said Andhra Pradesh State Election Commission officials.

The polling, that began at 7 am, has been peaceful except for minor scuffles between activists of various political parties in different localities of the city, they said. A scuffle took place between Majlis Ittehadul Muslim (MIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi and supporters of a rival candidate at a polling station at Rajendra Nagar, police said.

BJP leader N.V.S.S. Prabhkar alleged that former minister and Congress leader R. Damodar Reddy was distributing money at Ramantapur.

Reports of scuffles among TD and Congress activists were reported from Khairatabad and some localities in the old city.

Chief Minister K. Rosaiah exercised his franchise in Ameerpet. He expressed confidence that electors will turn up in large numbers.

He had on Sunday announced that he would quit if the main opposition, Telugu Desam, managed to win even a single seat more than Congress in the city polls.