GHMC Exit polls: TRS to get Mayor's post; BJP stands to gain

Hyderabad: As the counting of votes for 150 wards spread into six zones begins, all parties are tensed up as it was an unusually charged up campaign, but the poll turnout was about just one percent above what was recorded in 2016 elections.

The exit polls do clearly indicate that TRS would be able to have its own mayor, the disturbing factor was that they also predicted a significant rise in the number of seats for the BJP. While the exit polls give anything between 68 and 78 wards for the TRS, they predicted that the BJP would get anything between 25 and 35 wards.

The AIMIM may win in 38 to 42 wards while the Congress will have to remain contained with anything between 1-5 wards. It appears that the BJP has succeeded in increasing its vote percent significantly.

According to the State Election Commission, elaborate arrangements have been made by deploying heavy police forces at all counting centres to prevent any untoward incident. The political parties have constituted teams of monitor the counting votes closely.

A day before the counting on Thursday, TRS working president KT Rama Rao reviewed party arrangements at the counting centres. He instructed the division in-charges to depute active party leaders as agents in the counting centres to avoid any goof up. He cautioned his party leaders that BJP was planning to create tension on the votes polled in some wards like Vanasthalipuram, Ramanthapur, Shalibanda, Jambagh, Gunfoundry, Banjara Hills, Moulali and Borabanda where the fight between TRS and BJP was tough.

The mood in TRS and BJP on Thursday appeared to be more buoyant and both are getting ready for celebrations while the Congress is counting more on the Malkajgiri Lok Sabha constituency represented by party working president A Revanth Reddy.