With enthusiasm, rural Telangana celebrates the Festival of Democracy

Compared to the 2019 elections, there was a significant rise in voter participation in the Adilabad Lok Sabha seat.

Voters were up in force, forming lines early in the morning to cast votes despite the sweltering temperature. Voter turnout was especially high in rural and agency regions, where many voters went back to their fieldwork after casting their ballots.

There were, nonetheless, isolated incidents of discontent in several communities, when people skipped the polls in protest over concerns like inadequate infrastructure and unresolved compensation disputes. Some communities finally cast ballots when authorities intervened and promised to address their complaints.

A rise in political unrest was also seen, with reports of altercations at voting places between individuals from the Congress and BJP. In several locations, there were heated arguments due to allegations of campaigning inside polling sites.

Zakir Pasha, a disabled voter, used his legs to cast his ballot at Kagaznagar Mandal’s forest office polling place.

Claims of malpractice

Voters lined up at polling places to exercise their right to vote, creating a frenzy of political activity in the seats of Medak and Zaheerabad.

But within the democratic process, reports of purported malfeasance emerged. There have been rumors that leaders at the mandal level are giving out money in addition to voting slips. In Alipur hamlet in Aminpur Mandal, a former sarpanch was shown in a video clip that went viral on social media reportedly offering money in exchange for voter slips.

Unofficially, a few influential people said that they anticipate a tight race in the Medak parliamentary district, with a very little margin determining the winner.

People in Karimnagar go to a voting center to cast their votes, covering themselves with umbrellas.

Meanwhile, in the Sangareddy district’s towns of Narayankhed and Siddipet, there have been isolated reports of violent altercations involving supporters of different political parties.

A significant argument broke out at Narayankhed when Nagesh Shetkar, the brother of Suresh Kumar Shetkar, the contender for the Zaheerabad Lok Sabha constituency, is said to have kicked a BJP supporter. A complaint has been filed by the police against both organizations.

When MLA Palla Rajeshwar Reddy and former MLA K Pratap Reddy arrived at the Cherial Girls High School voting place simultaneously, their supporters started to yelling slogans.

K Chandrasekhar Rao, the former chief minister, and his spouse K Shobha cast their votes at their hometown of Chinta Madaka village in the Siddipet rural mandal.

Damodar Rajanarsimha, the minister of health, cast his ballot at Jogipet town with his daughter. In Siddipet town, T Harish Rao, a former minister, and his family went to vote.

Valluru Kranthi, the district collector for Sangareddy, cast her ballot there.

In the former Medak district, voters lined up at voting places early in the morning. By 1 pm, 50% to 60% of the district had cast ballots, while by 5 pm, 71.91% of the Medak parliamentary constituency and 71.33% of Zaheerabad had done the same.

On the other hand, authorities predict that around 80% of the former Medak will be polled.

Voter turnout in Nizamabad was impressive, with a considerable number of voters demonstrating their eagerness to cast votes.

By 5 p.m., more over 67% of voters in the districts of Jagtial and Nizamabad had taken part in the democratic process.

Notably, a wide range of individuals participated actively in the election process, including transgender people and those with impairments. The administration’s initiatives to make voting easier, such support desks and modular polling places, helped the elections go off without a hitch.

People went about their regular lives in cities and villages, adhering to their agricultural pursuits despite the political fervor.

a seamless experience

The parliamentary seats of Nalgonda and Bhuvanagiri concluded polling without incident on Monday; election authorities estimated the preliminary percentages at 70.36 and 72, respectively.

Voting took place in 2,061 polling places spread across seven Assembly segments of the Bhuvanagiri Lok Sabha seat and 2,141 booths spread over seven Assembly segments of the Nalgonda Lok Sabha constituency.

According to officials, till five o’clock in the evening, 70.36% of votes were cast in the Nalgonda Lok Sabha and 72% in Bhuvanagiri.

No untoward occurrence was reported from either constituency, according to police authorities.

Farmers in Kanumukkala village, Bhudampochampally mandal, demonstrated with grain bags at a voting place, stating that they would only use their right to vote if the government agreed to purchase their soaked grain. The state government eventually stepped in and persuaded the farmers to use their right to vote.