Over 84 pc polling in Huzurnagar assembly bypoll in T'gana

Over 84 per cent polling was recorded on Monday in the bye-election to Huzurnagar assembly constituency in Telangana, which passed off peacefully, official sources said.

Giving the provisional figure, official sources said 84.15 per cent voting was recorded up to 5 PM when the polling ended. The turnout was likely to go up as those standing in queues at close of poll would be allowed to exercise their franchise.

No untoward incidents had been reported, they said.

More than 2.36 lakh voters were eligible to exercise their franchise in the bypoll votes polled in which would be counted on October 24.

Though 28 candidates are in the fray, the contest is among the candidates of ruling TRS, Congress, BJP and TDP.

The bypoll, the first after last year's assembly elections in Telangana, has been necessitated due to the resignation of state Congress president N Uttam Kumar Reddy following his election to Lok Sabha in the general elections.

His wife N Padmavati, a former MLA, is the Congress candidate, while TRS has again fielded S Saidi Reddy, who lost to the PCC president in the Assembly polls.

Kota Rama Rao, a medical doctor, and Chava Kiranmayi are the candidates of BJP and TDP respectively.

TRS enjoys a massive majority in the assembly having a strength of 100 in the 120-member House.

Yet, the Huzurnagar bypoll is crucial for TRS to reaffirm its dominance in state politics after the party had suffered an unexpected setback in the Lok Sabha polls.

Amid expectations that it would sweep the polls, it ended up with only 12 of the 19 Lok Sabha seats in the state.

BJP, which could win only one seat in the assembly elections in December last, made impressive gains, netting four Lok Sabha seats.

Congress, which suffered a shock defeat in the assembly polls, recovered and won three seats in the Parliament elections.

A win in Huzurnagar is important for Congress also as it seeks to take on the ruling TRS in the coming years.

Buoyed by its gains in Lok Sabha polls, BJP has announced grand plans to emerge as the alternative to TRS in the state and a success in the bypoll would help it.

TDP, pushed to the margins in Telangana after a number of its leaders joined the TRS during the last several years, is also keen on a decent performance in the Huzurnagar bye-election to revive itself in the state.