Polling underway for Huzurnagar Assembly bye-poll: 69.95% voter turnout as of 3 pm

Polling for the bye-election in Huzurnagar Assembly constituency in Telangana’s Suryapet district is underway amidst tight security. The polling, which began at 7 am across 302 polling stations, will last till 5 pm. The bye-election was necessitated following the resignation of the state Pradesh Congress Committee chief Uttam Kumar Reddy after his election as MP from the Nalgonda Lok Sabha constituency. As per the status report from the Huzurnagar Returning Officer, as of 3 pm the constituency witnessed a voter turnout of 69.95%. With as many as 28 candidates in the fray, a total of 2,36,842 voters are expected to exercise their franchise in the bye-election. This is the first bye-election since KCR’s Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) retained power in the state in December 2018. While the TRS is trying its best to capture Huzurnagar to prove that there is a wave in its favour, the Congress is trying to regain the seat and prove itself a strong contender to the TRS. The Congress has fielded Padmavathi Reddy, Uttam’ wife, while the TRS has roped in Saidi Reddy, who had lost to Uttam Kumar Reddy in 2018 by 7466 votes. The BJP and the TDP have fielded Dr Kota Ramarao and Kiranmai Chava respectively. Journalist-turned-politician Teenmaar Mallanna is making his debut as an independent in this bye-poll. The Huzurnagar constituency was held by Uttam Kumar Reddy for the last three tenures, ever since it was created in 2009 through the delimitation of constituencies. Following a TRS complaint to the Election Commission authorities alleging that Uttam was trying to influence the voters in the constituency and demanding that he leave the constituency as he is a non-local, police have placed the Congress leader under house arrest. Authorities have made elaborate arrangements for the peaceful and smooth conduct of the bye-poll. The Election Commission has deployed nearly 1,500 staff and 965 Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). Officials said about 3,300 police personnel, including paramilitary forces, were deployed in the constituency as part of the security arrangements. Additional security measures were provided in at least 79 polling stations that were identified as sensitive. The counting of votes for the constituency will be held on Thursday.