HYDERABAD: Election to Old Malakpet (division-26) passed off peacefully on Thursday. Of the total 54,655 voters in the division, 21,022 cast their vote, taking the turnout to 38.46 per cent. A total of six candidates are in the fray — major political parties, like the TRS, BJP, Congress, MIM and CPI, have fielded their candidates.
The polling process, which started at 7 am in 69 polling stations, saw no untoward incidents. Police personnel were deployed in all the sensitive areas. It may be mentioned that polls to Old Malakpet was cancelled by the Telangana State Election Commission (TSEC) on December 1, after it was brought to the attention of polling officials that the ballot paper had the wrong symbol of CPI. Instead of hammer, sickle and star, the symbol had ears of corn and sickle -- the symbol of CPI(M).
The CPI candidate from Old Malakpet division, Firdous Fatima, raised objection with the TSEC after she spotted the mistake in the symbol.