Hyderabad: Even as the voter turnout at the now-finished Hyderabad civic polls was as low as 46 per cent, the liquor shops–which were shut until 6 pm on Tuesday–witnessed tipplers in considerable numbers.
A social post (in Telugu) that was widely shared, mocked that the tippler percentage at these shops was evidently higher than those who came out to cast their vote.
A wine-shop owner in Shaikpet said that the rush began immediately after 6 pm. “The crowd was more than the usual on a week-day. The sales were high too,” he said.
As reported by Deccan Chronicle, Chandrashekar (name changed) said: ”The shops were closed for three days and this time, even the black market was comparatively tight. We searched all over the city, but could not find even a quarter bottle.”
The State Election Commission has strictly instructed all the liquor shop owners to close all the liquor shops from November 29 to December 1 evening. The election body also stated that the liquor shop should be closed on December 4, on the day of counting from 6 am till the results are announced.
