Barring stray incidents of clashes among the supporters of contesting candidates and the subsequent intervention by the police, the elections to all the 11 municipalities including municipal corporations of Karimnagar and Ramagundam passed off peacefully in the district on Sunday.
All the municipalities witnessed brisk polling with voters forming serpentine queues at all the polling stations to cast their votes. The polling picked up in the evening. Supporters of various contesting candidates, who had erected make-shift tents near the polling stations, guided the voters.
Contrary to expectations, voters’ turnout was low in Karimnagar and Ramagundam municipal corporations. Jagtial, Sircilla, Korutla, Peddapalli, Metpally and Vemulawada witnessed a moderate polling. However, voters’ turnout was good in Husnabad, Huzurabad and Jammikunta, where polling was held for the first time after being upgraded into municipalities recently.
Meanwhile, contesting candidates alleged that the decline in polling percentage was due to administration’s failure in distributing polling slips to voters in Karimnagar and Ramagundam.
Special Correspondent adds: The elections to six municipalities in the district – Adilabad, Nirmal, Bhainsa, Mancherial, Bellampally and Kagaznagar – passed off peacefully with 67.25 per cent voters exercising franchise on Sunday.
Bellampally recorded the highest polling of over 81.21 per cent while Adilabad recoded the least of 59.43.
Voters in many polling stations were heard complaining about non-availability of poll chits in respective wards. There were also complaints about missing names in the voters list at some polling booths.
Staff Reporter adds: Elections to two municipalities and two nagara panchayats, by and large, passed off smoothly on Sunday with all the four urban local bodies registering a high polling percentage.
Madhira nagara panchayat recorded the highest polling percentage of 84, followed by Sattupalli (79.01), Yellendu (75.36) and Kothagudem (71.44).
Barring sporadic incidents of protests by two contesting candidates in Madhira and Yellendu urban local bodies, the entire polling process ended on a peaceful note.
Unfazed by the sweltering heat wave conditions, voters turned up in large numbers to exercise franchise in the district.
Special Correspondent adds: The polling for nagara panchayats and municipalities went off peacefully in the district on Sunday. The election was held to Parakal, Bhupalpally and Narasampet nagara panchayats and Jangaon and Mahabubabad municipalities.
There was a huge turnout of voters and around 55 per cent polling was recorded by afternoon across the district. TRS leader detained
TRS leader Madhusudana Chary was detained by the police at Bhupalpalli for violating election rules. Activists of TRS and Congress clashed at Bhupalpally while a Congress activist was detained at Parkal for distributing money.
