Daijiworld Media Network - Hyderabad
Hyderabad, Dec 15: The second phase of Panchayat elections in Telangana on Sunday was overshadowed by tragic deaths and dramatic incidents across several districts.
In Khammam district, an independent candidate for the Sarpanch post died just minutes before polling began at 7 a.m. D. Nagaraju, who was contesting from Anasagar village in Nelkonapalli mandal, reportedly succumbed to stress related to the election campaign. Family members said he fell ill on Saturday night and was admitted to a hospital, where he passed away early Sunday morning.
In a separate incident in Ranga Reddy district, a voter collapsed and died shortly after casting his vote. The incident occurred at a polling station in Aluru village of Chevella mandal. The deceased, identified as 70-year-old Solipeta Butchaiah, was rushed to a hospital after collapsing outside the polling centre, but doctors declared him dead on arrival. His daughter, Ramulamma, is a candidate for the Ward Member post in nearby Venkannaguda village.
Poll-related tensions were also reported from Medak district, where the husband of a Sarpanch candidate staged a dramatic protest by climbing a mobile phone tower. The incident took place in Peddatanda Gram Panchayat. Shankar Naik, whose wife is contesting for the Sarpanch post, alleged that rival candidates were distributing ?2,000 each to voters in an attempt to influence the election.
Despite these incidents, polling continued across the state. The second phase covered elections to 3,911 Sarpanch posts and 29,917 Ward Member posts across 193 mandals. More than 57.22 lakh voters, including 29.26 lakh women and 27.96 lakh men, were eligible to vote and determine the fate of 12,782 Sarpanch candidates and 71,071 Ward Member candidates.
Meanwhile, an unusual post-poll episode was reported from Nalgonda district. In Auravani village of Narkatpally mandal, a defeated Sarpanch candidate reportedly went door to door seeking the return of money he had allegedly distributed to voters. Kalluri Balaraju, who contested with the support of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), lost to Congress candidate Jakkala Paramesh by a margin of 450 votes.
Following his defeat, Balaraju reportedly approached villagers carrying a picture of a deity and appealed to them to either swear that they had voted for him or return the money he had given them. According to his wife, the demand for repayment would not have been made had the defeat margin been much narrower.
The incidents highlighted the emotional strain, tensions and irregularities that continue to surface during local body elections in the state.