Hyderabad: On the eve of Thursday’s Telangana Assembly elections, the city underwent a remarkable transformation from a bustling metropolis to an unusual serenity. The city, which was teeming with campaign fervour and traffic snarls for the past month, saw quietude settle in as citizens, from corporate professionals to service workers, made their way to their hometowns to exercise their franchise.
With schools and colleges shut for the day, public transport reported less footfall on Wednesday. Several people have already left the city and more are expected to be in their hometowns in time to cast their vote. As a result, apart from cabs, even bike taxis and auto apps experienced higher demand, delays and a slight surge in fares.
Oggu Latha, a domestic help working in an apartment in Ramanthapur, said "My husband and I belong to Chotuppal of Munugode constituency. We will go to our village on our scooter soon after we both wrap up our work."
Techie Hemanth Vinay Kumar is traveling to Nizamabad to cast his vote in the Kamareddy constituency.
"I will make a brief stop at my parents' home in Bodhan before I proceed to my polling station. I will return after the weekend," he said.
Some fortunate individuals, thanks to companies offering work from home until Saturday, have the option to travel to their hometowns and rest before returning to work on Monday.
Karthikeya S, a media professional, has carpooled his way to his hometown Mancherial with two other people he found on a social media platform, who will drop off at Siddipet and Karimnagar for the same reason.
With quite a few leaving the city to reach their hometowns, there was a notable hitch in the usual delivery routine. While delivery apps have not increased their charges, there has been a noticeable delay in deliveries. The combination of increased travel and the focus on civic duty has resulted in longer wait time for customers.
