oycott, violence, tears, arguments, cane charge — the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation election was all this and more on Tuesday. If the day began on a quiet note with low voter turnout and an overwhelming police presence, as the day progressed, the violence in the old city areas of South Zone took centrestage. The final minutes of voting saw raised tempers, and bouts of violence.
MIM chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi, his brother and MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi and Malakpet MLA Ahmed Balala were involved in different incidents of violence in different parts of the old city.
About 1,400 voters boycotted the election in Hasthinapuram ward in the East Zone by squatting outside the polling booth in Roushan Dowla raising slogans against GHMC officials for better civic amenities.
Initially, the turnout in many areas was low even till about 11 a.m. Areas in the west zone, where many IT professionals live, saw only 5 to 8 per cent of voter turnout till 10.45 a.m. The situation, however, was the opposite in Osmania University, where the turnout was about 23 per cent till 11.20 a.m.
Even the Monda Market ward in Secunderabad had nearly 30 per cent of voters turning up to cast their vote till 12 noon. It was also around that time when the crowds at polling booths had begun to swell in the old city areas like Mallepally, Ghansi Bazaar, Puranapul, Jangammet and Gowlipura.
Polling was peaceful in Uppal and Tarnaka areas.
Candidates expecting support from the young and educated segments were disappointed while those pegging hopes on masses were visibly happy.
“It is disappointing that despite reminders and requests not many came to the polling,” said Banda Karthika Reddy, former Mayor and Congress candidate from Tarnaka division.
There were some minor clashes and arguments in the booth near Sai Baba temple in Uppal between the supporters of Congress and an Independent supported by former corporator Praveen Reddy. People came out in large numbers early in the morning, but it dwindled by the afternoon.
Mild tension prevailed at Habsiguda when TRS candidates alleged that police was supporting the TDP candidate.
Till about 2 p.m., the voter turnout had increased in most wards and all the GHMC zones. In the west zone, which had seen a low turnout in the morning, about 26 per cent of voters had turned up, while the percentage touched 30 per cent in the north zone.
At 4 p.m., with an hour before the polling ended, GHMC officials estimated that the turnout would best last year’s 42.56 per cent.
The day was also marked by a few incidents of violence and polling-related objections.
A complaint was made in the Chilkaguda police station by a Congress candidate, who alleged that her father was beaten up by Minister T. Padma Rao’s son on Tuesday. In Addagutta, BSP candidate B. Vijaya Lakshmi claimed that the names of her husband and daughters were deleted from the list.
But it was the violence witnessed in the old city which perhaps ended the mostly peaceful day on a sour note.
