E-Paper
Hyderabadis remain lukewarm to GHMC polls, only 42% turn out to vote
Only around 42% of the 74.67 lakh voters exercised their franchise, according to tentative estimates of the Telangana State Election Commission authorities.
Notwithstanding the high decibel campaign by major political parties in the elections to the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation polling for which was held on Tuesday, voters of Hyderabad once again remained nonchalant about voting.
At the close of polling at 6 pm, only around 42% of the 74.67 lakh voters exercised their franchise, according to tentative estimates of the Telangana State Election Commission authorities.
“By 5 pm, the recorded polling percentage was as low as 36.73 and it went up by another 5-6 per cent in the next one hour. We are awaiting final figures from the divisions, as there were still some voters in the queue in some divisions at the time of scheduled closure of polling hours,” a GHMC official familiar with the development said.
Moreover, polling was held only in 149 out of total number of 150 divisions in the GHMC, as the SEC cancelled the polling in Old Malakpet division following a complaint from the Communist Party of India (CPI) candidate that his party symbol was missing in the ballot paper.
On verification, it was noticed that in the ballot papers, the symbol of CPI (M) party -- hammer, sickle and star was printed, instead of CPI party symbol of ears of corn and sickle.
Following a report from the local authorities, the SEC ordered for repoll in all 69 polling stations of Old Malakpet division on December 3. The commission also banned telecast and publication of all exit polls in the GHMC elections till Thursday evening.
“If the polling in Old Malakpet division is also taken into consideration, the overall poll percentage might go up further slightly,” the GHMC officials said.’
Yet, the percentage of polling in the GHMC elections this time will be lesser than that in 2016, when it was around 45.27 per cent. In 2009, when the GHMC faced the first elections after its formation in 2007, too, the polling percentage was only 42.04.
“Fear of Covid-19 might have forced many people to stay away from polling, because day in and day out, the health department has been cautioning the people about the spread of the virus in public places,” said political analyst and Osmania University professor K Nageshwar.
He said lakhs of people who were eking out their livelihood in Hyderabad had returned to their native places due to lack of job opportunities. Thirdly, many others like software professionals who had been given the option of work from home might have gone back to their native places, he said.
Telangana Information Technology Association (TITA), a body of software companies, pointed out that most of the 5.82 lakh techies in Hyderabad had gone out of station. “Nearly 80% of software engineers did not take part in voting,” TITA global president Sandeep Makthala said.
BJP state president Bandi Sanjay accused the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi of deliberately ensuring low polling percentage hoping to get advantage. “But I am sure the people have reposed their faith in our party,” Sanjay said.
Pradesh Congress party working president Ponnam Prabhakar blamed it on the TRS, BJP and Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen parties for the low polling percentage. “They ignored the real issues of people and talked about non-serious issues, as a result of which the voters did not evince much interest,” he said.
TRS working president K T Rama Rao, who made an appeal to the people to turn up in large numbers for voting, did not make any comment on the poor turnout. He, however, thanked all those who had voted for the TRS in the elections.
The polling went on peacefully, barring minor incidents of clashes among the activists of the TRS, BJP and MIM. Incidents of minor clashes were reported from Azampura, Ghansi Bazaar, Jangammet, Uppuguda, Karwan and Puranapul division in the old city, besides in areas like Hastinapuram, Alwal and Kukatpally. The police quickly brought the situation under control.
