The News Minute | September 14, 2014 | 12:30 pm ISTAbout 67 percent voters cast their ballot Saturday in the bypolls in Telangana's Medak Lok Sabha constituency, while the turnout was 69.49 percent in Andhra Pradesh's Nandigama assembly segment.Polling in both the constituencies was lower than the one recorded in the general elections in April. While Medak had recorded a turnout of 77.35 percent, in Nandigama 84.9 percent voters had cast their ballot.Barring minor incidents, polling was peaceful, said Election Commission officials.Officials said polling began in both the constituencies at 7 a.m. on a dull note but picked up as the day progressed. Though polling ended at 6 p.m., those standing in the queues were allowed to vote.Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) developed snags at a few places, resulting in delay in the start of the polling process. The officials later replaced the faulty EVMs.Tight security arrangements were made. Officials in Hyderabad monitored the polling through webcasting.Over 15.43 lakh voters were eligible to cast their franchise in the prestigious Medak parliamentary constituency, where election authorities set up 1,817 polling centres.Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, whose resignation caused the vacancy, and his wife cast their votes in their native Chintamadaka village in Siddipet mandal.State Irrigation Minister Harish Rao cast his vote in Siddipet assembly segment, one of the seven assembly segments under the parliamentary constituency.About 10,000 security and polling personnel were deployed in Medak as part of elaborate arrangements to ensure free and fair elections.Fourteen candidates were in fray in Medak but leaders believe it was mainly a triangular contest.K. Prabhakar Reddy of the TRS may have a smooth sailing. He was pitted against BJP-TDP combine's Jagga Reddy and the Congress party's Sunitha Lakhsma Reddy.Heavy polling was witnessed in Nandigama assembly constituency in Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh.Over 1.84 lakh voters were eligible to vote at 200 polling centres.Four candidates were in fray in Nandigama, a seat reserved for Scheduled Castes.The ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) fielded Tangirala Soumya, daughter of Tangirala Prabhakar Rao, whose death caused the vacancy.Soumya was locked in a direct fight against B. Babu Rao of the Congress. The two other candidates were independents.IANS