Hyderabad: Drones would be used in 130 locations, covering 407 polling stations for the Jubilee Hills by election, district election officer RV Karnan said in a media briefing at the GHMC head office in Hyderabad on Sunday, November 9.
“These drones will provide real-time data and monitor the polling stations and their surrounding areas. Voters would be allowed to cast their votes up to 6 pm,” he said.
The Jubilee Hills bypoll will be held on Tuesday, November 11 and the results will be declared on November 14.
Karnan said that for a smooth polling day, officers will issue tokens to voters so that no person is singled out.
There are a total of 58 candidates fighting for the by poll. All arrangements have been made with regard to the electronic voting machines (EVMs), comprising one control unit, four ballot units and one VVPAT. “Reports of EVM malfunction will be promptly addressed and will be replaced with a new one,” the GHMC officer said.
More than 1,760 additional security personnel, including paramilitary forces and local police, have been deployed at polling stations. “We have identified 226 critical polling stations across 65 locations and deployed sufficient personnel to ensure peaceful voting,” joint commissioner of police Tafseer Iqbal said, adding, 230 rowdy sheeters had been bound over and 27 cases registered for Model Code of Conduct (MCC) violations.
Campaigning for the bypoll ended on Sunday.
The BRS has fielded Maganti Sunitha, wife of the late Maganti Gopinath, while the Congress has nominated Naveen Yadav. The BJP has chosen Lanka Deepak Reddy, who had unsuccessfully contested the seat in the 2023 Assembly elections. Meanwhile, Asaduddin Owaisi’s All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has extended its support to the Congress.
It holds high stakes for the ruling Congress, which is aiming to wrest the seat from the main opposition, BRS. Having failed to secure even a single seat in the Greater Hyderabad region during the 2023 Telangana Assembly elections, a victory here is crucial for the Congress to strengthen its urban foothold.
