Hyderabad: Hours before the beginning of the polling in the high-stake Munugode bypoll, Telangana BJP president Bandi Sanjay was taken into preventive custody.
At around 2 am on Thursday, the leader who was heading toward Munugode was shifted to Abdullapur Met police station.
Later, tension prevailed as BJP candidate Komatireddy Raja Gopal Reddy who is contesting in the poll protested in front of the returning camp officer. He alleged that TRS is misusing power.
Polling begins in Munugode assembly constituency
Polling is underway in the Munugode assembly constituency. The voting in the constituency began at 7 am.
The Election Commission has made elaborate arrangements for polling, including deployment of 3,366 state police and 15 companies of central security personnel.
There are a total of 298 polling stations and web casting would be done from all of them. Of the total, 105 booths have been identified as ‘critical.’
Over 2.41 lakh voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in the election.
Munugode bypoll
The bypoll has been necessitated by the resignation of sitting Congress MLA Komatireddy Raj Gopal Reddy from the party from his post in August. He has joined the BJP and is seeking re-election.
While 47 candidates are in the fray, the main contest is confined to Raj Gopal Reddy (BJP), former MLA Kusukuntla Prabhakar Reddy of TRS and Congress’ Palvai Sravanthi.
The bypoll has assumed a critical political significance as the winner would have an edge over others ahead of next year’s Legislative Assembly polls in Telangana.
With inputs from PTI
