Hyderabad: As Telangana voted on Thursday, betting syndicates worked over time and kept cops on tenterhooks on polling day. The enthusiasm over the Telangana polls outcome is no less even on Friday, a day after polls concluded. Betting goes unabated though it is illegal in the southern state.
According to police sources, who did not wish to be named, punters, who put their money over the Cricket World Cup, are betting to the tune of crores on the possible win and loss of political parties. An estimated Rs 500 crore have been placed both offline and online, and the figure is projected to rise in the coming days, they said.
The police report said some popular topics of discussion in bookies’ circles are, "Which party will come to power"?, "who are the winning horses in the constituencies"? and "what are candidates’ margin of win and loss in various constituencies?”
Bets worth Rs 1000 crore were placed on the outcome of elections in poll-bound states such as Rajasthan and Chhatisgarh besides Telangana. The election results for every state will be announced on December 3, though polling is conducted on separate dates. According to the officials, the craze in punters’ market is overwhelming.
‘You can win two lakhs if you bet one lakh’
People are being lured into believing they will get just double the amount already spent in the betting market. Crores of rupees are being spent on Chief Minister KCR, PCC President Revanth Reddy, ministers KTR and Harish Rao, BJP leader Etala Rajendar and some others who, are attracting increased attention from bettors. There is a lot of talk about the candidate's chances of winning, even though the primary concern is which party will win the 119 legislative seats in the state and form the government. On certain online betting apps and websites, bets worth Rs 1 lakh are placed. A few bookmakers anticipate odds of 1:10.
Bookies from Mumbai, Delhi join the race
Gangs from cities such as Delhi and Mumbai have entered the race and are betting on the Telangana elections. Websites and apps are becoming available under different names. Despite Telangana's ban on online gambling and betting, dozens of apps and websites continue to operate illegally. Sources said police are trying to hide the fact that same punters woo people through different names of apps of websites to avoid surveillance. There is a new app that costs betting enthusiasts of Rs. 5000. Bookies here bet primarily on cricket but this time, they are betting big on politics.
Punters active in nearby states as well
Notably, there is a buzz in nearby states regarding Telangana elections, particularly in Andhra Pradesh. People are placing bets totalling crores of rupees over the outcome of polls. WhatsApp groups are opened by bookies to lure customers.
According to police officials, bets amounting to crores of rupees are placed in Nellore, Visakhapatnam, and Vijayawada. They are holding contests by assessing the political climate and the relative strengths of various political parties while speaking with their constituents in various districts, including Hyderabad.
More from Telangana elections:
- Telangana Polls 2023: Voter turnout crosses 20% at 11 am; Don't get lured by liquor, Kishan Reddy tells voters
- Telangana elections 2023: Who are prime candidates and what are key constituencies in focus?
- Telangana Assembly polls: Chiranjeevi, Allu Arjun, Jr NTR and other South stars queue to cast votes - watch
