Hyderabad: The first-ever polls for the 119-seat Telangana Legislative Assembly recorded a higher turnout of around 73 per cent statewide than the last time, according to the latest calculations. In Hyderabad the turnout stood at 50.86 per cent, as compared to 52.8 per cent in 2014.
Reports of long queues were reported from many places even after polling ended at 5 pm. Voting was allowed till 7 pm in these booths. The results will be declared on December 11, and the picture will be clear before noon. As many as 1,821 candidates are in the fray and about 1.9 lakh security personnel were deployed for the elections.
The highest polling of more than 80 per cent was recorded in Nalgonda, Nakrekal, Devarakonda and Nagarjuna-sagar constituencies and lowest percentage of 44 was recorded in Nampally of the city. Polling got off to a brisk start with about 20 per cent of the votes being cast in the early hours.
Sporadic incidents of violence were reported in Kodangal, Tandur, Makthal, Karimnagar and Hyderabad. The polling was delayed in many of polling stations particularly in capital city of Hyderabad due to technical snags in EVMs.
Voters staged protests at several places in the state for alleged missing of their votes from voters list. Ten persons including Congress candidates Vamshi Chand Reddy and Rohit Reddy sustained minor injuries during clashes between workers of major political parties.
The police registered a case against a youth in Hyderabad city for revealing the secrecy of vote by taking selfie while casting his vote. Polling ended peacefully at 4 pm in 13 Assembly constituencies including Manthani, Bhupalapalli, Kothagudem, Bhadrachalam, Yellandu, Pina-paka and Mulugu which are in the Maoists affected areas.
Police resorted to a mild lathicharge at Karimnagar to avert a clash between workers of Congress contestant Ponnam Prabhakar and TRS contestant G. Kamlakar.
Mr Jitender, additional director general (law and order) told this newspaper that 25 cases were registered so far across the state in connection with the incidents of poll violence and are minor issues and no arrests so far.
