Betting hots up on local polls
Medchal, Karimnagar, Nizamabad are in focus
The districts of Medchal, Karimnagar and Nizamabad have turned into hotbeds for betting. With the completion of polling, punters and bookies have swung into action to encash on the curiosity of followers and friends of contesting candidates.
Huge amounts are on tables on the winning chances of the TRS, BJP and the Congress candidates who have contested in the urban local bodies (ULBs), particularly in Medchal, Karimnagar and Nizamabad.
According to sources close to bookies, majority of punters are showing interest on betting of the winning mayor candidates in Karimnagar and Nizamabad. However, sadly for professional bookies, people are not involving them in betting, with followers of rival party candidates and majority of punters preferring a straight 1:1 ratio betting between themselves.
Sources in TRS disclosed that one of their party leader had betted `50 lakh on the pink party winning 25 divisions in Nizamabad corporation, while a former MPTC betted `30 lakh on BJP winning the corporation.
Sources revealed that in
Karimnagar betting was taking place between BJP and TRS leaders over the mayor seat. Interestingly, the TRS cadre also betting among themselves over the mayor candidate, as some of them expect that a three-time corporator may get the mayor post, while others are expecting a new face, backed by minister G. Kamlakar.
Candidates from the ruling and Opposition parties, who contested in Urban Local Bodies elections in the MedchalMalkajgiri and Ranga Reddy districts, spent huge amounts during electioneering.
The newly created Municipal Corporations of Badangpet, Meerpet and Bandlaguda Jagir of Ranga Reddy district and new Corporations of Boduppal, Peerzadiguda Jawaharnagar and Nizampet are considered real estate hot beds and the candidates here had to splurge more than what an Assembly aspirant spent in 2018.
Candidates with real estate business contested in many of the divisions in these Corporations. It is reported that almost all leading parties, TRS, Congress and BJP pumped in unprecedented amounts for a local body election.
Now, it is almost known that candidates shelled down between `25 lakh and `50 lakh to get tickets from their respective parties and then spent heavily to woo voters.
Apart from the corporations, municipalities which are under the Hyderabad Metropolitan Authority limits, including Peddamberpet, Ibrahimpatnam, Jalpally, Shadnagar, Turkayamjal, Shamshabad, Manikonda, Narsingi, Adibatla, Shankerpally, Thukkuguda Medchal, Dammaiguda, Nagaram,
Pocharam, Ghatkesar, Gundla Pochampally, Thumkunta, Kompally and Dundigal also had valuable real estate lands. Here also realtors have swung into the elections so that they could have a grip over the area and expand their business interests.
Political circles believe that candidates for municipal wards spent `1 to 2 crore whereas division candidates spent up to `4 crore. Candidates in Boll-aram, Tellapur and Ameenpur of Sangareddy district have reportedly spent up to `2 crore as those towns also have valuable lands. A candidate in Bandlaguda Jagir is said to have distributed 5 grams gold coin to voters and another one in Choutuppal Municipality allegedly bought six votes of a family for `2 lakh!
Meanwhile, in an interesting development, one candidate has allegedly issued a post-dated cheque for `2 lakh to a colony welfare association in Peerzadiguda urging them to draw the amount after his victory.
A candidate in Kompally apparently supplied `4, 000 worth of scotch bottles to each voter.
■ APART FROM the corporations, municipalities which are under the Hyderabad Metropolitan Authority limits, including Peddamberpet, Ibrahimpatnam, Jalpally, Shadnagar, Turkayamjal, Shamshabad, Manikonda, Narsingi, Adibatla, Shankerpally, Thukkuguda Medchal, Dammaiguda, Nagaram, Pocharam, Ghatkesar, Gundla Pochampally, Thumkunta, Kompally and Dundigal have valuable real estate lands.
■ REALTORS sprung into action in these places to get a grip over the area and expand business