Palair By-Election: Constituency All Set For Polling

All necessary arrangements for the Palair by-election on May 16 have been made.

Khammam District Collector and Election Returning Officer Dana Kishore directed the officials concerned to ensure that the election process was taken up in a smooth manner. Tents and water facilities have been set up at all of the about 240 polling stations. The polling staff reached the polling stations well in advance and are busy getting ready for the polling process.

The ruling TRS has fielded a cabinet minister and local leader with a strong fan following, Thummala Nageswara Rao. The Congress, which failed to convince the TRS to let its candidate get elected unanimously, has fielded Sucharitha Reddy, the wife of Ramreddy Venkat Reddy, whose death caused the by-election. The Congress managed to get the support of its arch-rival Telugu Desam Party, which anyway could perhaps not contest on its own as it has lost its sheen with a majority of its leaders joining the TRS for greener pastures.

Congress leader Puvvada Ajay, son of CPI senior leader Puvvada Nageshwar Rao, and Payyam Venkateshwarlu, who both joined the TRS, made Thummala's winning chances brighter. They all participated in the whirlwind campaign by the ministers for Thummala.

The elections are expected to see a high turnout of the voters of the backward and drought-hit area as the people of the area are reportedly pinning their hopes on higher growth if the TRS candidate is voted to power.