Huzurabad: Voting is underway for the Huzurabad assembly by-poll that has become a battle of prestige for both the Chief Minister of Telangana State K. Chandrashekar Rao and Eatala Rajender.
Till 1 p.m., 45.63 percent polling was recorded. A total of 108082 voters have cast their votes. The highest polling percent i.e., 47.65 was recorded in Veenavanka Mandal.
The polling, which began at 7 a.m. at 306 polling centers across the constituency in Karimnagar district, was underway in a smooth and peaceful manner, barring minor incidents of clashes between workers of ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The Election Commission of India made elaborate arrangements to ensure free and fair polling. Twenty companies of central forces in addition to the personnel from state police were deployed as part of the elaborate security arrangements.
Hanamkonda District Collector Rajiv Gandhi Hanumanthu, Warangal Police Commissioner Tarun Joshi, Karimnagar Police Commissioner Satyanarayana also visited few polling stations to monitor polling and security arrangements.
BJP candidate Eatala Rajender and his wife cast their votes at a polling center in Kamalapur.
Addressing reporters he predicted that there will be around 90 percent voter turnout in the Assembly by-election.
Rajender, who had been representing Huzurabad seat since 2009, is locked in a three-cornered contest with Gellu Srinivas Yadav of TRS and B. Venkat Narsing Rao of the Congress party.
With inputs from agencies