Jubilee Hills assembly bypoll: Over 40 pc polling till 3 PM, cases registered against 3 MLAs

Hyderabad, Nov 11 (PTI) Polling for the Jubilee Hills assembly by-election, which is seen as a popularity test for Telangana's Congress government, saw over 40.20 per cent voter turn till 3 PM on Tuesday, officials said.

Hyderabad Police said cases were registered against three sitting MLAs and two former MLAs for allegedly violating the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) during the polling.

Two cases were registered at the Madhuranagar Police Station against Congress MLAs Beerla Ilaiah, Ramachandranayak, and Ramdas, a police release said.

One case has been registered at the Borabanda Police Station against former BRS MLAs Dasyam Vinay Bhaskar and Methuku Anand.

Strict legal action is being taken against those who have violated the election code regulations, the release said.

Hyderabad Commissioner of Police V C Sajjanar, inspected the polling progress of the bypoll from the Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) and also monitored the situation at various polling stations using drones.

Sajjanar said this is the first time in the country that the voting process is being supervised using drone technology for this election.

He mentioned that a total of 150 drone cameras are being used as per the directions of the Election Commission.

Sajjanar stated that the polling for the Jubilee Hills by-election is proceeding in a peaceful environment.

The Commissioner further said that all polling stations are being monitored in real-time from the ICCC through a total of 900 CCTV cameras.

Meanwhile, a team of BRS leaders complained to Chief Electoral Officer Sudarshan Reddy that non-local Congress leaders, who were camping in the constituency, were trying to influence voters, the BRS said in a release.

BRS MLC Sravan Dasoju alleged that the Congress government is misusing power and indulging in "bogus voting" due to fear of losing the bypoll.

He told reporters that the police and election machinery should ensure free and fair polling.

Voters were sent inside the polling booth at Shaikpet without voter identity cards being verified, he claimed.

The election outcome is crucial as the ruling Congress is steadfast in its goal to further strengthen its electoral hold and the main opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi is looking to retain the seat and make a bounce back.

The BJP is keen on emerging as an alternative to the BRS and Congress.

The polling, which commenced at 7 AM and will go on till 6 PM. PTI SJR VVK SJR KH