Media protests official goof-ups on Munugode updates; parties slam delay

MUNUGODE: A series of goof-ups with frequent corrections on official figures during initial rounds marred the counting process for Munugode by-election on Sunday, so much that it sparked angry protests from some members of the media.

A few of the journalists, who were reporting the crucial vote-counting, were reportedly raised slogans and protested at the counting centre, claiming that they were fed with inaccurate figures which were frequently revised.

The scribes cribbed about utter lack of communication and coordination among the staff that was tasked with the dissemination of information to the media. They frowned upon the fact that the official information itself had statistical inaccuracies with regard to the numbers and that the frequent correction of these figures were threatening the reputation of their media outlets as they took this info at face value and were promptly telecasting or publishing on their platforms.

They cited the instances of how the fourth round lead was first put out at 513 votes which was later changed to 614 votes before revising it again to 714 votes. Claiming that the final lead was taken based on the data released by the State Election Commission, they lamented the chaos that reigned in between this time.

The media contingent was also unhappy with the unexplained delay in divulging the fifth round results.

Meanwhile, both the TRS and the BJP expressed displeasure at the delay in taking up the counting of votes for the Munugode by-election.

Bandi Sanjay, BJP Telangana President, has expressed dissatisfaction with the delay in announcing the results. Union Minister Kishan Reddy has appealed to the Chief Election Commissioner (CEO) to inquire about the reason for the delay.

A similar demand also came from the TRS, with its Minister Jagdish Reddy seeking the ECI to look into the factors that caused the delay.