48.2% voter turnout in Jubilee Hills bypoll; Congress, BRS workers clash, file complaints

Hyderabad: The Jubilee Hills by-election recorded a polling percentage of 48.2 per cent on Tuesday. The ruling Congress and the Opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) filed severe complaints with the ECI, accusing each other of violating election rules.

Violence between BRS and Congress

The bypoll ended on a violent note, with clashes between Congress candidate Naveen Yadav’s followers and BRS workers being reported outside many polling booths.

The BRS claimed heavy rigging by Naveen Yadav’s followers. BRS candidate Sunitha Maganti accused the Congress of manipulating the election and called for the cancellation of the bypoll.

During a clash, Naveen’s father, Chinna Srisailam Yadav. Heavy police deployment was done outside polling stations. A mild lathi charge happened in the morning against BRS workers.

The Congress candidate Naveen Yadav and the BRS candidate Maganti Sunitha’s election campaign saw a bitter fight between the two main contestants and their cadres. The day began with slow polling, which picked up by afternoon. The allegations and counter-allegations of electoral malpractices from both parties also continued. The presence of leaders from both parties was seen in the constituency.

The Hyderabad City Police provided a first-of-its-kind, high-tech security for the Jubilee Hills bypoll.

Cases of MCC violations

Both Congress and BRS filed police cases against each other, and counter-allegations of violating the Model Code of Conduct.

Both major parties are facing police cases over alleged claims of violating the MCC and attempting to influence voters. Some of them include:

Police register cases against MLAs: The Hyderabad City Police registered three cases for MCC violations.

The cases were filed against sitting Congress MLAs Beerla Ilaiah, Ramachandra Nayak and Ramdas, as well as former BRS MLAs Dasyam Vinay Bhaskar and Methuku Anand.

The cases stem from their alleged presence in the constituency as non-local public representatives during the polling period.

BRS candidate’s protest and rigging claims: BRS candidate Maganti Sunitha staged a protest, levelling serious accusations against the Congress party. She alleged casting of fake votes and rigging, specifically claiming that the votes of deceased people were cast.

She accused Congress of using ‘rowdy-sheeter elements’ to commit atrocities, assaulting BRS party workers, and then filing false cases against them.

Sunitha also claimed her supporters were being threatened.

Congress files complaint against BRS: The Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee also complained to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO).

The TPCC accused the BRS candidate, Maganti Sunitha, of violating the MCC by holding a press meet that included a photo of a late leader and making comments against opponents and officials.

The TPCC further accused BRS MLAs Kaushik Reddy and Sudheer Reddy of threatening voters at polling booths.

Unprecedented security and monitoring

The Hyderabad City Police Commissioner, VC Sajjanar, oversaw an extensive and innovative security operation to ensure a peaceful and fair election.

Integrated Command Centre Monitoring: Polling progress was monitored in real-time from the Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC).

CCTV and webcasting: A total of 900 CCTV cameras were used to monitor all polling stations in real-time. Live webcasting was also carried out from all booths.

Pioneering drone surveillance: For the first time in the country, drone technology was deployed to supervise the voting process.

A fleet of 150 drone cameras was used as per directions from the Central Election Commission.

The CP confirmed that the polling was proceeding in a peaceful environment and urged the public to exercise their franchise freely.