Telangana: Local body polls start off peacefully

HYDERABAD: The first phase of ZPTC and MPTC elections in the State concluded peacefully on Monday. The destiny of 7,702 candidates, contesting in 2,097 MPTC segments, and 883 candidates, contesting in 195 ZPTC segments, was sealed in ballot boxes. The State recorded a healthy voter turnout of 76.80 per cent. Women outnumbered men when it came to exercising their franchise. The votes will be counted on May 27. 

Even before the first votes were cast, as many as 69 MPTCs and two ZPTCs were elected to office unanimously, as they had no opponents in their respective segments. According to date released by the State Election Commission, a total of 45,32,502 voters cast their votes on Monday. Of them, 21,47,446 were women, 20,94,286 were men and 14 were of the third gender. Polling was held in 12,094 polling stations in various parts of the State. 

At several villages, voters lined up to form serpentine queues early in the morning. Polling officials made necessary arrangements for the elderly and persons with disability. The police department too made the necessary security arrangement to prevent any untoward incident. 

In the five Maoist violence-affected districts of Bhadradri Kothagudem, Jayashankar Bhupalpally, Mancherial, Mulug and Kumram Bheem Asifabad, polling was concluded an hour early, compared to other district. The second and third phases of the elections will be held on May 10 and May 14 respectively.

KCR gives ballot box a miss

Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao did not cast his vote in his hometown of Chintamadaka village. The TRS president was in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala where he held talks with the State’s Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan