Huzurabad registers higher voting in bypoll; BJP confident of victory

Huzurabad registered 86.33 per cent polling till 7 PM on Saturday, further escalating the anxiety in the TRS and BJP camps about the verdict. The counting of votes will take place on Tuesday.

The bye-elections where ex-TRS leader Eatala Rajender has challenged his former boss K Chandrasekhar Rao's power has witnessed hectic campaigning by both parties.

While the bypoll turnout is already two per cent higher than during the 2018 Assembly elections, the figure could go up further as voters were still waiting in queues at some polling stations at 7 PM.

Stray incidents of TRS and BJP workers clashing with each other were reported from several places, though the voting was largely peaceful. Telangana chief electoral officer Shashank Goel said that several cases were registered based on the complaints from the parties.

Speaking to the reporters after the polls, Eatala accused the TRS government of spending about Rs 500 crores in the constituency to entice the voters. “But Huzurabad people were determined to protect dharma and democracy,” the former health minister said.

A few exit polls gave the BJP candidate a slight edge over the TRS.

The constituency in north Telangana fell vacant in June after Eatala resigned from the TRS and also the assembly membership following charges of land grabbing and a probe was initiated into the same by the Rao government. He later joined the BJP.

Meanwhile, Badvel in Andhra Pradesh, which also went to bypolls on Saturday, recorded a 68.12 polling percentage. The ruling YSRCP is likely to retain the assembly seat as the main opposition TDP kept away from the polls, in solidarity with the deceased YSRCP MLA's wife Dr Sudha, the ruling party candidate.

The BJP which is in fray has complained to the Election Commission of India stating that YSRCP leaders were re-cycling and rigging votes, with the support of local police.

“Persons from other villages were using fake voter ID cards to cast bogus votes,” AP BJP chief Somu Veerraju has alleged.

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