With polling scheduled for May 13, the authorities have made all necessary arrangements to ensure a free and fair electoral process in the Warangal and Mahabubabad Lok Sabha constituencies, which are part of the erstwhile Warangal district.
In the Warangal constituency comprising a substantial electorate of 18,24,466 voters, the electoral infrastructure is robust, with 1,900 polling centres set up across the seven Assembly segments — Warangal West, Warangal East, Parkal, Wardhannapet, Bhupalpally, Station Ghanpur and Palakurthy. Notably, 1,839 persons applied for home voting, of which 1,718 successfully participated. Additionally, 12,710 voters availed themselves of postal ballots, with 9,544 utilising this facility.
Authorities under the leadership of Returning Officer P. Pravinya have identified 247 problematic polling centres, taking swift action to ensure a fair electoral process. Enforcement of the model code of conduct (MCC) is in full swing, with 1,155 individuals bound over by the police, and five FIRs registered for violations of MCC.
A significant crackdown on illicit activities related to elections has been observed, with seizures including cash amounting to ₹66.21 lakh, jewellery valued at ₹1.08 crore and alcohol worth ₹1.96 crore. Further, 676 excise cases have been registered, leading to the arrest of 416 persons.
To oversee the elections effectively, 205 routes and 981 locations have been designated, accommodating the deployment of 1,900 polling stations. A robust administrative framework comprising 206 sector officers, 2,194 micro observers, 2,126 assistant presiding officers, and 4,342 other polling officers has been established.
As many as 42 candidates are vying for the Warangal Lok Sabha seat. Kadiyam Kavya from Congress, Aroori Ramesh from BJP, and M. Sudheer Kumar from BRS are the major contenders in this constituency reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC).
Meanwhile, arrangements have been successfully made in the Mahabubabad constituency to conduct the elections in a peaceful manner.
Returning Officer for Mahabubabad Lok Sabha seat, Adwait Kumar Singh, said 23 candidates are in the electoral fray with 1,809 polling centres set up across the constituency that consists of Mahabubabad, Dornakal, Mulugu, Narsampet, Yellandu, Pinapaka, and Bhadrachalam Assembly segments.
Strict measures have been implemented to address potential challenges, with 317 problematic polling centres identified and proactive measures such as live webcasting, video filming, and CCTV coverage instituted to uphold the sanctity of the electoral process.
A dedicated polling staff comprising 8,683 will discharge their duties to ensure smooth polling. While there are a total of 23 candidates in the fray, Porika Balram Naik from Congress, Maloth Kavitha from BRS, and Azmeera Seetaram Naik from BJP are the main contestants from this ST constituency.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, former chief minister and BRS president K. Chandrasekhar Rao have addressed poll rallies for the victory of their respective party candidates.
Published - May 13, 2024 12:40 am IST
