In Hyderabad Lok Sabha constituency, many defied odds to vote, most didn't care

HYDERABAD: It was an action replay which was hard to ignore. Old City or Purana Shehar, as they call it, witnessed, yet again, a very low turnout of voters on Monday - in a repeat of Nov 2023 assembly elections. Old City shares a large chunk of Hyderabad Lok Sabha constituency, which recorded the lowest voting of 45.14%.
After polling began at 7 am, at almost all the polling stations there was impressive participation of voters.But the interest began to dwindle from 10 am. And between 11 am and 3 pm, it turned into a trickle. "People who were wary about the heat came out in large numbers in the first 2-3 hours of voting. Long queues were seen in the morning. But soon, electors visiting the booths thinned," Mohammed Iqbal, a resident of Charminar assembly constituency, told TOI.
A majority of roads were deserted between the 'cooling period' of 11 am to 3 pm and shops, eateries, and establishments were kept shut across the city by police. The near absence of voters in Chandrayangutta, Shalibanda, Moghalpura, Falaknuma, Mallepalli, Goshamahal, Charminar, and several other areas was stark during this period.
Some local residents cited lack of interest, foregone conclusion of the winner, heat and lack of hope from political leaders to solve their problems for not coming out to exercise their franchise. Non-participation of youngsters was very much apparent. In some areas, volunteers of a party were seen knocking the doors and gates, appealing to residents to come out and cast their votes.
On knowing about the arrival of BJP candidate Madhavi Latha, a large number of people gathered at booth, which caused mild tension.
With heavy bandobust for the smooth conduct of election, most of them chose to stay indoors. Some people, active on social media platforms, however, made fervent appeals to voters to get out and use their vote. It was after 3 pm, suddenly there was a flood of people who came out on to the roads and lined up at polling stations. There was a visible domination of women voters at the polling stations. Areas around Charminar, Yakutpura, Moghalpura, Chandrayangutta, Dabeerpura and Nampally saw brisk flow of voters. In the last hour before the voting came to a close at 6 pm, AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi, who is seeking re-election, visited a high school in Chandrayangutta, and was inside the polling booth for some time following a glitch in the EVM. Owaisi's presence attracted a large number of his followers within the 200-metre radius of the polling booth.
Hyderabad police commissioner K Sreevinasa Reddy reached the polling station and took stock of the situation.
Once the polling was over, life was back to normal in the Old City with a large number of people hitting the roads.