Demand for beer, upgradation of villages finds way in ballot boxes in Telangana

india

Updated: Jun 04, 2019 16:53 IST

Voters in some parts of Telangana have taken to using ballot boxes to express their grievances and place demands other than opting for their leaders.

Election officials in the southern state’s Jagitial district on Tuesday found a letter along with ballot papers in one of the boxes at Mutapalli village of Rayikal block while counting votes in the recently-held local body elections.

The letter, written by an unknown voter claiming to represent the people of Jagitial district, was addressed to Telangana Rashtra Samithi president and chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao.

“CM KCR sir, there has been no supply of Kingfisher beer in entire Jagitial district and the people of the district are forced to travel to other districts for consuming Kingfisher beer. So, please ensure that Kingfisher brand of beer is available in the district for our convenience,” the letter read.

There was a post-script as well.

“For making Kingfisher beer available for us, please merge Jagitial district with Karimnagar.”

There have been several reports from Jagitial of people complaining about the non-availability of Kingfisher beer in the district.

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In September last year, a beer lover’s letter to the district excise officials over this missing brand from bars and liquor shops went viral on social media. He even described it as an infringement on the right to freedom.

The excise department officials, however, said there was enough supply of beer in the district and the supply of brands depended on the indent placed by dealers with the Telangana State Beverages Corporation Limited and that from consumers.

In the neighbouring Peddapalli district, another voter left a letter in the ballot box, demanding that the chief minister make Garrepally village in Sultanabad Mandal in Peddapally district a mandal. The voter said the village had all facilities to become a mandal.

The election to 5,817 mandal or block parishad and 538 zilla parishad territorial constituencies (MPTCs and ZPTCs) were held in three phases last month and the counting of votes was done on Tuesday. The elections were conducted in the ballot paper system.

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