Voters queue up to cast their ballots at Begum Bazar polling station during the fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections 2024, in Hyderabad on May 13, 2024.
| Photo Credit: RAMAKRISHNA G
The huge voter turnout in several Lok Sabha constituencies of north and south Telangana has left the three major political parties guessing about the fate of their candidates.
Despite low voter turnout in the constituencies in and abutting Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), the overall voting percentage at 66.3% shows the enthusiasm with which voters exercised their franchise in the Lok Sabha polls. Bhongir reported highest polling percentage of 76.78% and Hyderabad was lowest at 48.48%.
Overall poll percentage 3% more than 2019 LS polls
The overall poll percentage was more than 3 per cent higher than the 2019 Lok Sabha elections which registered 62.77% voting although it was lesser compared to the December assembly elections when it was 71%. Adilabad Lok Sabha constituency, for instance, registered overall polling of 74.03% with all its seven assembly segments reporting over 70% voting.
Boath and Asifabad assembly segments, comprising a majority of rural belt, reported 77.16% and 75.09% respectively. Karimnagar constituency saw 72.54% voting where all the assembly segments barring Karimnagar segment which is largely urban, registered over 70% polling. Zaheerabad Lok Sabha seat also is an interesting case registering 74.63% voting with all the seven assembly segments Jukkal (75.83%), Banswada (76.98%), Yellareddy (77.54%), Kamareddy (71.41%), Narayankhed (72.71%), Andole (75.63%) and Zaheerabad (72.9%) reporting over 70% polling.
Bhongir Lok Sabha constituency which registered highest voting of 76.78% saw three of its assembly segments Munugode (83.51%), Alair (82.52%) and Bhongir (81.74%) registering over 80% polling while Ibrahimpatnam assembly segment, in the vicinity of the Hyderabad Metro Development Authority (HMDA), saw just 66.81% voting.
Assembly segments with highest voting
Narsapur assembly segment in Medak constituency saw the highest voting at 84.25% closely followed by Munugode with 83.5%, Dubbak (81%) and Gajwel segment, represented by Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) president K. Chandrasekhar Rao registered 80%. Interestingly, Medak is one of the Lok Sabha constituencies on which the BRS is betting big.
Major parties baffled
The voting percentage left the three major contenders the Congress, the BRS and the BJP baffled and the party leaderships are now assessing the pros and cons of the voting pattern. The parties are outwardly asserting that the high voter turnout is in their favour. The Congress for instance is banking on the implementation of majority of the six guarantees it has promised to the people and the BJP is claiming that the “discontent” about the six month rule of the Congress will work in its favour. The BRS, on its part, is firm that the problems relating to power supply and water which were never felt in its almost 10-year rule came up after the Congress took over the reins and this has, in turn, resulted in people looking back at the pink party.
Claims by their leaders notwithstanding, the parties are carefully ascertaining the assembly segment wise polling pattern to understand the situation at the ground level.
