Heavy polling in Munugode by-election: Despite unrest, record 93.13% cast vote as turnout breaches 2018 numbers

While polling in the Munugode by-election officially ended at 6 pm, the electoral officers allowed those still in the queue to exercise their franchise late into the evening.

BySumit Jha

Published Nov 03, 2022 | 12:22 PM ⚊UpdatedNov 04, 2022 | 12:41 PM

Munugode polling day

Police lathicharge on BJP workers in Marrigua. (Screengrab)

Balloting in the high-stakes Munugode bypoll was brisk, on Thursday, 3 November, with over 93 percent of the electorate casting their votes by the end of the day, even as the BJP cried foul over a lathi charge on its workers and the early-morning detention of the party’s state president, Bandi Sanjay Kumar.

The voting percentage marks a new high for Munugode and easily breached the 91.3 percent recoded in 2018.

Polling was largely peaceful, barring stray incidents, including the police lathi charge against BJP workers protesting at a balloting station in Marriguda Mandal over what they claimed was TRS leaders trying to influence voters.

Bandi Sanjay was detained in the early hours of Thursday, 3 November, by the Rachakonda police at the Abdullapurmet police station as he was headed for the Munugode constituency. He was later placed under house arrest at the party’s state office in Hyderabad.

The state BJP president alleged that several TRS leaders from outside the constituency were in the area, distributing money and influencing people in gross violation of the model code of conduct of the Election Commission of India (ECI).

The police lathi charge at the Marriguda balloting station came as BJP workers gathered in strength to protest what they claimed was TRS workers and leaders from the neighbouring constituencies of Suryapet and Nalgonda districts arriving there to influence and intimidate voters.

Both the Suryapet and Nalgonda districts are TRS strongholds. The Munugode constituency spans the Nalgonda and Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri districts.

BJP candidate Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy also staged protests over the issue at the office of the Returning Officer in Chandur.

Law enforcement at work

There were incidents of cash seizures at the constituency as well. BJP activists intercepted a car in which about ₹10 lakh was being taken in Mallaparajupalli in the Nampally mandal. The BJP alleged that the money was meant for distribution to voters by the TRS.

In another incident, the police seized ₹2 lakh that was being transported in Chandur. Those who were with the money fled the scene on seeing the police.

Interestingly, a majority of residents of Anthapet in the Marriguda mandal, incensed over no one distributing money to them, abstained from voting. They alleged that only a section of voters received money while others were left high and dry. They said they would not cast their votes unless they received money.

According to CEO Vikas Raj, cases have been registered against those who are identified as outsiders in the Munugode constituency. He said action would be taken against those who were displaying party symbols at the polling stations.

At least 42 people were identified as non-voters and outsiders and sent out of the constituency in the first half of the day.

Congress nominee Palvai Sravanthi lodged a complaint that fake news was being spread that she had met Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao. She said that it was a blatant lie.

The election officials assured her that they would inquire into her allegation. She later told reporters that she would take legal action against the news outlets that telecast this and those who put it on social media.

The Telangana unit of the Congress has also lodged a complaint with the election officials, but this one was about a video that surfaced online, purportedly showing an individual casting his vote in favour of the BJP. Let alone video-recording, the common man is not allowed to even carry a phone into polling booths, as per the law.

Polling in Munugode

Balloting in Munugode was at 93.13 percent at the end of the day, according to the ECI. This was even higher than the final overall turnout of 90 percent, as predicted by some analysts.

As man as 2,25,192 voters exercised their franchise till the end of voting. The constituency has nearly 2.42 lakh voters. There were 686 postal ballots as well.

This is not unusual for the constituency. In the 2018 Assembly election, Munugode recorded a turnout of 91.3 percent. This time, that number was 1.83 percentage points higher, at 93.13 percent.

Polling began at most places at 7 am, barring two balloting stations where glitches in the EVM machines caused a half-hour delay.

Balloting began on a dull note, but soon picked up as the sun began climbing in the sky.

As there was a nip in the wind as winter set in a little early this year, the voters seem to have decided to visit the polling stations a little later in the day.

By about 8.30 am, people were queuing up before the polling stations at various polling stations, raising hopes that the polling percentage would be quite high by the end of the day.

Turnout higher in rural areas

Interestingly, voting has been brisk in villages rather than in towns. Elderly persons were among the first to reach the polling stations. For instance, in Gattupall Mandal, which has been recently created, it was the elderly who turned up at the polling stations first.

TRS and Congress nominees Kusukuntla Prabhakar Reddy and Plavai Sravanth cast their votes while and BJP candidate K Rajagopal Reddy visited a temple and offered pooja before casting his vote.

After exercising his franchise, Prabhakar Reddy said the voting percentage might touch even 95 percent.

The ECI has set up 298 polling stations for a total electorate of almost 2.42 lakh voters.

Polling webcast

At all the polling stations, the process of voting is being webcast to help officials keep a watch on how the process was going on.

CEO Vikas Raj has visited the webcasting centre and instructed officials at the polling stations not to allow more than one voter inside the polling station.

He told reporters that in some villages cash was seized and that the process is going on peacefully.

There are as many as 47 candidates in the fray though the fight is mainly between TRS and the BJP.

The Congress has also been making a spirited effort to retain the seat.

The by-election is being touted as the most expensive in the history of the state as leading political parties allegedly dumped mountains of cash and lifted floodgates for liquor to influence voters.

(The story has been updated with the final voting figures and percentages)

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