KHAMMAM: With the surge in Covid-19 cases, voters of Khammam Municipal Corporation are hesitant to cast their votes on Friday, the polling day, especially as it involves standing in long queues. As a result, election officials expect a low turnout. Every day, more than 500 cases of Covid-19 are being reported in the district, of which the lion’s share is from Khammam town. People, mostly the aged and women, are reluctant to come out of their homes.
K Ramadevi, a resident of Khammam town, told Express, “We have no money to spend on treatment in case we get infected. So, as a precaution, we are not planning to cast our votes this time.” What compounds the voters’ fears is the ongoing acute shortage of vaccines and testing kits, lack of proper treatment facilities in government hospitals and private hospitals charging patients lakhs.