HYDERABAD: The third and last phase of elections to Zilla Parishad (ZPTC) and Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituency (MPTC) seats concluded peacefully on Tuesday. The election was notified for 160 ZPTCs and 1,708 MPTCs. Even before the votes were cast, one ZPTC and 63 MPTCs had been elected unanimously.
The results of the ZPTC, MPTC ordinary elections will be declared on May 27, once the Lok Sabha election results are over. Polling was held in 9,494 polling stations across parts of the State, reporting a healthy voter turnout of 77.81 per cent.
According to date released by the State Election Commission, a total of 46.49 lakh votes were cast on Tuesday. Of them, 23.51 lakh were women, while 22.97 were men. It may be noted that women voters have outnumbered their male counterparts in all three phases of the local body polls.
Voting got over an over early at Maoist violence-affected areas in Bhadradri Kothagudem, Jayashankar Bhupalpally, Mulugu and Mancherial district. Booths at these places were opened at 7 am and closed at 4pm, an hour earlier than in other places.
Voters had lined up early in the day, forming long queues even before the booths were opened.
Elderly votes were taken into the booths in wheelchairs arranged by the district administrations. Medical teams were also set up at all places in order to deal with any possible emergency owing to the hot weather.
The State police department implemented Section 144 near polling stations to prevent any untoward incident. All these arrangements ensured the polling was peaceful.
Meanwhile, in Chinchelpet village of Nawabpet mandal, Vikarabad district, the Assitant Electoral Officer complained of heart pain whilst on polling duty. He was urgently taken to a nearby private hospital by the police.
At Gandipally village of Akkannapet mandal in Siddipet district, the people boycotted the polls in its entirety. The villagers, around 200 of them, claimed the polling station in their village had been shifted more than 5km away to the gram panchayat headquarters.
An hour earlier
Voting got over an hour early at Maoist violence-affected areas in Bhadradri Kothagudem, Jayashankar Bhupalpally, Mulugu and Mancherial districts