After high-decibel campaigning, low voter turnout in GHMC election

Hyderabad: A high-decibel, no holds barred campaign involving a battery of BJP leaders such as Union Home Minister Amit Shah versus the ruling TRS for the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) election was followed by low voter turnout on Tuesday.

About 35 percent of the 74 lakh-odd voters turned up to cast their votes. Counting of votes will be taken up on December 4.

Polling passed off peacefully, but not without any glitch, as repoll was ordered in ward number 26 owing to a symbol mix-up involving the two Left parties–CPI and CPI (M), officials said. Ballot papers were used in total 150 wards of the corporation.

Aiming to cash-in on its surprise success in the recent Dubbak assemblyy bypoll, the BJP seemed to have upped the stakes in the civic polls in the state capital, fielding the "who's who" of the saffron party, from Shah to UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to Smriti Irani, for canvassing of votes.

While Shah assured development to the southern city and free it from "Nizam Culture" if voted to power, UP chief minister Adityanath, whose administration changed the names of Faizabad and Allahabad in his state to Ayodhya and Prayagraj, respectively, said Hyderabad could follow suit to become 'Bhagyanagar' if his party captured GHMC.

Shah targeted both All India Majils-e-Ittehadul- Muslimeen (AIMIM) and Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) on dynasty politics.

BJP's top guns--party chief J P Nadda, Union Ministers Prakash Javadekar and Smriti Irani and party MP and BJYM national president Tejaswi Surya hit the campaign trail.

The saffron party leaders also targeted AIMIM chief and Hyderabad MP Asaudddin Owaisi during their campaign and accused the ruling TRS of having a tacit understanding with it.

The TRS campaign was led by its working president and state Municipal Administration Minister K T Rama Rao, while party president and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao addressed a campaign public meeting.