Telangana: Stage Set For Polling In High-Stake Munugode By-Election

A total of 2,41,855 electorate is expected to utilise their right of franchise at 298 polling stations.

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The stage is set for polling for by-election to Munugode Assembly seat in Telangana on Thursday. The poll authorities have made all the arrangements for the polling in the constituency in Nalgonda district.

A total of 2,41,855 electorate is expected to utilise their right of franchise at 298 polling stations.

The polling will be held from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. The poll authorities have made arrangements to webcast the election process in all the polling stations.

As many as 3,366 state police personnel and 15 companies of central forces have been deployed.

A total of 105 polling stations have been identified as critical.

Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Vikas Raj said sending bulk SMS has been barred. The election authorities have also deployed special teams to constantly monitor the messages on social media.

Non-voters have been directed to leave the constituency. Special teams have been deployed to verify the presence of non-voters in function halls, hotels and other places.

As many as 51 static surveillance teams and flying squads were deployed on the ground to check model code of conduct (MCC) violations.

Vikas Raj has said that 198 police teams are on the ground to check any unauthorised movement of men and material.

As part of the election process, 821 persons with criminal antecedents had been bound over and 111 belt shops (unauthorised outlets of licensed liquor shops) shut.

The constituency is witnessing a three-cornered contest, whose outcome is expected to be significant ahead of the next year's Assembly elections.

There are a total of 47 candidates in the fray but the main contest is among three major players - TRS, BJP and Congress.

The bypoll was necessitated after sitting MLA Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy resigned from the Congress to join the BJP in August. Reddy is now contesting on BJP ticket.

The TRS has fielded former MLA Kusukuntla Prabhakar Reddy, who had lost to Rajagopal Reddy in 2018.

Congress leader has fielded Palvai Sravanthi Reddy, daughter of former MP Palvai Goverdhan Reddy.