IN THE BATTLE FIELD: Jampanna Pratap, Congress candidate for Ward No. 1 of the Secunderabad Cantonment, arrives to file his nomination along with S. Satyanarayana, MP, and other party leaders on Monday.

HYDERABAD: After a week of a rather quiet and restrained campaigning restricted to interior lanes and colonies, the election revelry in the Secunderabad Cantonment burst out on to the streets on Monday. And how!

With the Cantonment Board opening counters for candidates to submit their nominations for the August 6 polls, it was all along a colourful pageant of supporters on the roads leading to the SCB office on S.P. Road. Accompanied by music and spirits, the latter both in mind and material, they danced to the drumbeats, the `teen maar' rhythm reaching a feverish pitch as the caravan neared the SCB office.

On the whole, 75 candidates filed their nominations on the first day, with the highest number of aspirants totalling 22 being from Ward No. 2 and the lowest a mere two from Ward No. 7. Ward No. 1 had 6, Ward No. 3 had 12, Ward No. 4 had 11, Ward No. 5 had 10 and Ward No. 6 had 12.

Women aspirants

There were around 10 women too, most of them independent candidates, who submitted nominations on Monday, though there are no wards reserved for women this time around.

The Congress parade, led by Siddipet MP Sarvey Satyanarayana along with the contestant for Ward One, Jampanna Pratap was all tricolour while the Telangana Rashtra Samiti came a close second on the colour aspect, of course pink.

The Telugu Desam, meanwhile, is planning its display of yellow power on Tuesday, which is the last date for nominations. A few TDP candidates, however, submitted their nominations on Monday itself.

Mr. Satyanarayana, speaking to reporters after accompanying Pratap and the party's other contestants including veterans -- Nawab Mehmood Khan and P. Gowrishankar -- to the nomination counter, said the Congress would definitely "march to a sweeping victory".

He also stated that the results of the Cantonment elections would have a bearing on the municipal elections in the twin cities that were due in early 2007.

G. Vijayarama Rao, TRS legislator, also spent a few moments talking to his party's candidates at the SCB office. The final list of candidates, after scrutiny and withdrawals will be published on July 17.

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