New Delhi: The state of Telangana witnessed the start of polling for all 119 Assembly seats on Thursday morning amid elaborate security and logistical arrangements. The voting process began at 7 am and will end at 6 pm. The election is a three-cornered contest among 2,290 candidates representing 109 national and regional parties, including 221 women and one transgender.
The outcome of the election will be decided by 3.17 crore voters who will exercise their franchise at 35,655 polling stations across the state. Out of the 103 incumbent legislators, most of them belong to the ruling Bharat Rasthra Samithi (BRS), which is aiming for a third consecutive term in power.
The state election commission has introduced a home voting facility for the first time in Telangana for persons with disabilities and senior citizens above 80 years of age. About 27,600 voters have registered for the home voting service, which will be conducted on Thursday. Another 1,000 voters have opted for the Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System.
On Wednesday, the state’s Chief Electoral Officer, Vikas Raj, said that the election commission had made all the necessary arrangements to ensure a smooth and fair polling process. He spoke to ANI and said, “A total of 35,655 polling stations have been put together in Telangana. Also, conforming to the instructions of the Election Commission, we have arranged model polling stations and all-women polling stations.”
He added, “We have also identified about 12,000 critical polling stations for which we have arranged the deployment of additional forces. Apart from central forces, there will also be micro-observers to ensure free and fair polling in the state. Areas declared as Left Wing Extremism (LWE)-affected will see the deployment of central forces in addition to state forces.”
He also said that about 27,000 voters had already cast their votes through the home-voting arrangement. “We will also arrange transportation for the returning officers to enable smooth movement to their designated centres,” he said. He further said that each polling station would have volunteers to assist disabled and wheelchair-bound voters.
Moreover, there would be braille posters and ballots for the visually impaired and posters in sign language for the hearing-impaired. “We have made all requisite arrangements for our polling staff,” he said. The election is seen as a high-stakes battle for power and prestige among the three main contenders: the ruling BRS, the Congress, and the BJP.
The BRS is banking on its track record and promises of the last 10 years to win the trust of the voters. The Congress is hoping to get enough support to form its first government in the state. The BJP is also vying to end the “misrule and corruption” of the BRS. Some of the prominent candidates in the fray are Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, his son and minister K T Rama Rao, state Congress President A Revanth Reddy, and BJP Lok Sabha members Bandi Sanjay Kumar and D Arvind.
If K Chandrashekar Rao, popularly known as KCR, secures another term in office, he will become the first Chief Minister from a Southern state to get a third consecutive term in office. KCR is contesting from two seats: his original seat Gajwel and Kamareddy. He is facing a tough challenge from BJP leader Etela Rajender in Gajewal and Congress state unit chief Revanth Reddy in Kamareddy.
Both Etela and Revanth Reddy are also fighting from two seats each: the BJP leader from Huzurabad and the Congress leader from Kodangal. One of the most talked-about seats is Korutla, where BJP has fielded Lok Sabha me