The final polling percentage of the December 1 Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation election has quite a few surprises among the wards that were affected by October floods in the city.
While Chaitanyapuri, Saroornagar, R.K. Puram and Kothapet in the eastern part of Hyderabad showed voter apathy in comparison to 2016 elections, the southern parts of the city showed a higher voter turnout as compared to 2016. Both areas were affected by floods and a large number of residents received Rs. 10,000 solatium announced by the Telangana government.
This dip in numbers in the eastern parts of the city has added an interesting dimension to the contest. In 2016, the R.K. Puram ward was won by the Bharatiya Janata Party with 45.35% voters favouring it while the Telangana Rashtra Samithi logged 38.07% votes. Chaitanyapuri, Saroornagar, Kothapet and Gaddiannaram were won by the TRS candidates.
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The flood-affected wards in the southern part of the city which recorded high voter turnout have been the bastion of All India Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen. In 2016, the party scored above 80% votes in Falaknuma, Nawabsahebkunta, Jahanuma and above 50% in Doodbowli and Kishenbagh.
The KPHB Colony seat that was won by the Telugu Desam Party in 2016 with a margin of 10% votes recorded a blip of 54 more votes in 2020.
The marginal increase in voting percentage may impact some of the seats where the margin of victory was thin.
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“The TRS won 16 seats with less than 10% margin. A big swing will be detrimental to the prospect of TRS,” says Anant Maringanti of Hyderabad Urban Labs after analysing the polling percentages.
In five of these wards A.S.Rao Nagar, Champapet, Goshamahal, Qutbullapur and Vengalrao Nagar there was a decline in the number of voters ranging from a few hundred to two thousand adding an unknown edge to an edgy contest.