Voter turnout in Telengana estimated to be around 70% percent

The region is likely to record an impressive voter turnout of 65-70 percent by the time polling comes to an end at 6pm.

A total of 1,669 candidates are in the fray for 119 Assembly seats while 265 are contesting for the 17 parliamentary seats across Telangana.

According to State Chief Electoral Officer Bhanwarlal, about 58 per cent of the electorate in the 10 districts of Telangana had exercised their franchise till 3 PM, and voting was brisk throughout the day. Warangal recorded the highest voter turnout of over 60 percent while Hyderabad, generally a slow starter, registered 51 percent. Overcast skies over Hyderabad and some other districts provided voters some relief from the scorching summer sun.

The fight in the new state is primarily between the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and the Congress, while the TDP-BJP alliance, YSR Congress and the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) strong only in a few pockets.

Prominent among the candidates seeking election to the Lok Sabha are Union Science and Technology Minister S Jaipal Reddy (Mahabubnagar), TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao (Medak), MIM president Asaduddin Owaisi (MIM), Lok Satta party chief and former bureaucrat Dr Jayaprakash Narayan (Malkajigiri) and KCR’s daughter K Kavitha (Nizamabad).

KCR, who has set his sights to become the first chief minister of Telangana, is also contesting the Assembly election from Gajwel, which falls under Medak Parliamentary constituency. Other CM-aspirants like former deputy chief minister C Damodara Rajanarasimha, Telangana Congress President Ponnala Lakshmaiah, former APCC president D Srinivas and former minister J Geeta Reddy, all from Congress, are also in the fray. The polling began at 7am amid massive security arrangements involving over 90,000 police and para-military personnel who had been positioned in all the 10 districts. Besides, four helicopters of the Indian Air Force have been stationed in the districts for contingencies that may arise during polling.

The day also had a sprinkling of drama in some places like the upmarket Jubilee Hills, where Union Tourism Minister K Chiranjeevi tried to barge into a polling booth with his family to cast their votes. A young voter standing in the queue politely told the actor-turned-politician that he would join the queue like others and wait for his turn. “I don’t see why you should be given priority over others to cast your vote,” the voter said, even as television cameras zoomed in to capture the argument.

Chiranjeevi, who was accompanied by his son Ram Charan, tried to pacify the voter, but finally made a retreat and joined the queue. He also flouted the election code by arriving at the polling booth with two gunmen flaunting their weapons. According to the Election Commission, a VIP can enter a booth with his gunmen but without any arms.

Speaking to mediapersons later, Chiranjeevi said he was a law-abiding citizen who believed in democracy. “I was just trying to go inside to check if my name was in the voters list. I did not break the queue and me and my family members waited for our turn to exercise our franchise,” he said. TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu, speaking to reporters after casting his vote, said people were fed up with the corrupt Congress and wanted to see BJP’s Narendra Modi as the prime minister.

Naidu, who termed the elections in Telangana as historic, said he was happy to see the high turnout of voters in the region. “People have realized their responsibilities,” he said.

news@khaleejtimes.com

• India