Hyderabad : Some new trends are discernible in the voters’ behaviour as the counting of votes in the GHMC elections continues on Friday afternoon. That the employees have never been with the ruling TRS has been established by postal ballots. The old lines of loyalties in Hyderabad old city and the new city have asserted themselves once again.
Even during 2018 assembly elections, TRS had upper hand in postal ballots only in Siddipet and Mahaboobnagar constituencies. In the rest of the constituencies the Congress dominated the postal ballots. Postal ballot comes mostly from employees or those who are outside the State at the time of elections. But the TRS went on to win the assembly elections handsomely.
The north Indians and software employees living in the areas adjoining South Telangana districts of Nalgonda and Mahaboob Nagar have favoured the saffron party. The North Telangana people who came from Warangal, Adilabad and Karimnagar to settle down in Hyderabad have voted for the TRS. Medak, though a part of south Telangana, has more connections with Karimnagar. Divisions adjoining Medak districts also voted for the TRS. MIM is doing well wherever there is domination of Muslims.
A clear example for the old loyalties is Ramgopalpet division near Secunderabad station where north Indians have been living for hundreds of years. In this division, the BJP has upper hand this time. In divisions like Ghoshamahal, Jambagh and Gunfoundary where Marwaris and other north Indian business people live have voted for the BJP. Kondapur and Gachchibowli where the software employees dominate have voted for the BJP. It is more out of love or respect for Prime Minister Modi that the people in these areas have voted for the lotus symbol.
Tarnaka also has voted for the BJP because of the North Indians working for central organisations such as CCMB, Osmania professors and intellectuals, most of whom are settlers, have favoured the saffron party. Areas adjoining Nalgonda like LB Nagar and Mahaboobnagar districts also put their seal on the lotus symbol. Areas inhabited by North Indians for centuries in old city such as Begumbazar were won by the BJP. Settlers from Andhra Pradesh seem to have voted with people from Telangana according to the preference of the latter. In the divisions adjoining South Telangana districts, they voted for the BJP. On the other hand, settlers from coastal Andhra Pradesh living in areas where the people of north Telangana origin are in a majority have voted en masse for the ruling TRS. The number of divisions dominated by these two groups are more than 60. TRS’ emphasis on peace and law and order was taken seriously by the settlers.
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