Munugodu bypolls: Telangana BJP chief Bandi Sanjay detained after protest

Telangana BJP president Bandi Sanjay staged a protest demanding that non-locals and TRS leaders should be sent out of the Munugodu constituency, where the bypolls are being conducted today.

Sanjay, who was on the way to Munugode as Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) leaders were not leaving the by-polls constituency in Munugodu, was stopped by the police on the Vijaywada Highway in Abdullapurmet on Wednesday night.

Initially, police stopped Bandi Sanjay's convoy at Malakpet then at Vanasthalipuram and finally, he was shifted to Abdullapurmet Police Station.

Additionally, the Munugodu assembly constituency BJP candidate K Rajgopal Reddy staged a protest on Wednesday night demanding the Returning Officer (RO) and Nalgonda Superintendent of Police (SP) to take immediate action on TRS leaders who have come from outside to Munugodu for campaigning.

Reddy along with his cadre marched to the RO office in Chundur of the Munugodu assembly constituency.

BJP leader alleged and questioned why the police and EC officials are allowing TRS leaders who are not voters of Munugodu to stay back as they are influencing the voters in villages.

The voting for Munugodu Assembly by-elections began.

Polling will be held from 7 am to 6 pm amid tight security and counting votes will be conducted on November 6.

The contest in Telangana's Munugode Assembly constituency is crucial for all major parties in the State- the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and Opposition parties Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress.

As many as 298 polling stations have been set for the Munugode by-election and 2,41,855 voters will cast their vote.

While 47 candidates are in the fray, the fierce contest is being held between BJP's Raj Gopal Reddy, former TRS MLA Kusukuntla Prabhakar Reddy and Congress' Palvai Sravanthi.

Apart from Munugodu, by-elections are also being held in six other Assembly constituencies across the states of Maharashtra, Haryana, Bihar, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh.

The other six Assembly constituencies where the elections will take place are 166-Andheri East from Maharashtra, 47-Adampur from Haryana, 139-Gola Gokranath from Uttar Pradesh and 46-Dhamnagar from Odisha.

The two constituencies of Bihar where the bye-elections will be conducted are 178-Mokama and 101-Gopalganj.

Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders on Wednesday submitted a memorandum to the Election Commission asking for stringent action against the mob who attacked party leader Eatala Rajender after the clashes which broke out between Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and BJP supporters on the last day of campaigning for Munugode bypolls.

On the other hand, condemning the attacks on the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) workers, Telangana Minister KT Rama Rao warned BJP to refrain from violence and said that physical attacks are not appropriate in a democracy.

Earlier on Tuesday, a clash broke out allegedly between TRS and BJP workers, on the last day of the Munugode by-election campaign, in Telangana's Nalgonda.