Warangal: 54.74% voter turnout in GWMC polls

Warangal: As predicted, the voter turnout was disappointing in the elections to the Greater Warangal Municipal Corporation (GWMC) here on Friday. With the people preferring to stay indoors amid fears of coronavirus that assumed huge proportions in the region, only 54.74 per cent of the total 6,64,188 electorate in the urban local body (ULB) turned to polling booths to exercise their franchise.

Notwithstanding the efforts of administration which took all possible measures for the safety of voters at the polling stations, the denizens appeared sceptical and abstained. Compared to the GWMC elections in 2016, the voter turnout this time around was much less. Then the voting percentage was 60.38.

Barring a few sporadic incidents, the polling passed off peacefully in 878 polling stations, sealing the fate of the 502 candidates in the fray for the 66 Divisions of the GWMC. The number of voters in the GWMC is 6,64,188. Of which, 3,28,629 are men, outnumbering them was women with 3,35,380. Others 179.

Warangal Urban District Collector Rajeev Gandhi Hanumanthu along with Municipal Commissioner Pamela Satpathy monitored the polling process through webcasting from 46 polling stations.

Christina Z Chongthu, Commissioner, Tribal Welfare Department, who was designated general observer for the GWMC polls, inspected the polling process.