Telangana municipal elections: Supporters climb walls, reveal result to partymen

HYDERABAD: In a video footage captured by STOI, some unknown persons were seen revealing number of votes and other details of election results to party workers at Aurora’s Technological and Research Institute, the counting centre for Peerzadiguda Municipal Corporation. The incident came to light after a supporter of an independent candidate informed media personnel about the issue.
The individuals in the video can be seen shouting out results from one of the windows in the building’s top floor while counting of votes was still in progress. “They are shouting the results from the counting hall. There is not even a single policeman guarding the area behind the counting centre. This is completely against the model code of conduct. The authorities have completely failed in making arrangements,” said Ravi Kishore, a supporter.
When questioned about the security arrangements in the area behind the counting centre, the police official at the front of the counting centre said: “We are sending our officials. No one is allowed to go behind the building.”
Elsewhere, at the Lords Institute of Engineering & Technology in Himayathsagar where counting for Narsingi, Manikonda and Shamshabad municipalities along with Bandlaguda Municipal Corporation, police personnel armed with only batons had a hard time keeping away crowds from entering the premises. There had been no arrangements made by police for barricades and many were seen trying to get in by jumping the wall.
Inside the premises, a heated argument broke out when the winning candidate for Shamshabad Ward 1, Congress’ Geetha R and her husband were coming out of the premises. Seeing a crowd build up around them, the police is said to have pushed them towards the media and infuriating them in the process. “They should not have pushed us this way,” Geetha said but later acknowledged that “such incidents happen in the moment.” Rajendranagar ACP K Chakravarthy also said that such incidents are expected with large turnouts.