Telangana Polls: Voting began at 7 AM in the 35,655 polling stations across the state.
New Delhi:
Polling for 119 Assembly constituencies in Telangana began this morning, with voters queuing up to exercise their franchise amid tight security .
As many as 2,290 candidates from 109 national and regional parties including 221 women and one transgender are in the fray. Their fate will be decided by a total of 3.17 crore voters.
A total of 103 legislators are re-contesting this time, most of them from the ruling Bharat Rasthra Samithi (BRS). Voters would exercise their franchise at 35,655 polling stations set up across the state.
Telangana is the last of five states – the others were Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, and Mizoram – to vote in this round of elections, which has been seen as a semi-final before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Counting of votes for all five will take place on Sunday.
Here are the LIVE updates on Telangana Assembly Elections 2023 LIVE Updates:
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#WATCH | Actor Rana Daggubati arrives to cast his vote at FNCC in Hyderabad during Telangana elections pic.twitter.com/pZVtDIxrO1
– ANI (@ANI) November 30, 2023
#WATCH | Telangana Elections | Actor Naga Chaitanya arrives to cast his vote at the polling booth at the Govt Working Women’s Hostel in Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad. pic.twitter.com/ehfTubl0Qx
– ANI (@ANI) November 30, 2023
Actor Meka Srikanth cast his vote in the Jubilee Hills area of Hyderabad on Thursday and urged people to vote to show power of democracy during the ongoing Telangana Assembly polls.
After casting his vote the actor requested people to vote in a media interaction. He said, “Please do cast your vote.”
#WATCH | Actor Srikanth casts his vote in the Jubilee Hills area of Hyderabad, and says, “Please do cast your vote.”#TelanganaElectionspic.twitter.com/zhn1q3h4vG
– ANI (@ANI) November 30, 2023
AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi on Thursday urged voters to exercise their franchise to “strengthen” democracy and further “restore” faith in the Constitution during the ongoing Telangana Assembly polls.
Speaking to ANI after casting his vote in Hyderabad, Mr Owaisi said, “I urge the people of Telangana to exercise their franchise to strengthen democracy….”.
He stressed the need for voters to further restore faith in the Constitution and strengthen the nation by exercising their franchise.” It is not a day to celebrate at home.”
#WATCH | Women’s musical band outside polling booth number 188 in SR Nagar to motivate people to vote in Telangana elections pic.twitter.com/QQJ6nCMtWA
– ANI (@ANI) November 30, 2023
#WATCH | Telangana Elections | In Hyderabad, BRS MLC K Kavitha says, “Especially to the young men and women, I sincerely appeal to you to please come and vote. Today is not a holiday, it is a day to participate and strengthen democracy…The decibels have been high but it was the… pic.twitter.com/qbDz3kJVFT
– ANI (@ANI) November 30, 2023
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi urged the people of Telangana to vote in large numbers in the elections to the 119-member state Assembly. He posted on X:
నేడు దొరలపై ప్రజలు గెలవబోతున్నారు.
నా తెలంగాణ సోదర సోదరీమణులారా!
రండి.. అధిక సంఖ్యలో ఓటింగ్ లో పాల్గొనండి.బంగారు తెలంగాణ నిర్మాణం కోసం ఓటేయ్యండి! కాంగ్రెస్ ను గెలిపించండి!
Today, Prajala will defeat Dorala!
Brothers and sisters of Telangana, step out and vote in large… pic.twitter.com/yvrvNMBziX
– Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) November 30, 2023
PM Modi urges people to vote in record numbers. He posted on X:
I call upon my sisters and brothers of Telangana to vote in record numbers and strengthen the festival of democracy. I particularly urge young and first time voters to exercise their franchise.
– Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 30, 2023
Voting begins for the Telangana Assembly Elections
- More than 2.5 lakh staff will be engaged in poll duties for the assembly elections, Chief Electoral officer Vikas Raj has said.
- About 77,000 security personnel, comprising state police and Home Guards drawn from the state and neighbouring states, besides 375 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), have been deployed across the state as part of the security arrangements for the election.
- For the first time in Telangana, home voting facility was provided to persons with disabilities and voters above 80 years.
- As per the seat sharing agreement, BJP and actor Pawan Kalyan-headed Jana Sena are contesting in 111 and 8 seats respectively.
- The Congress has given one seat to its ally CPI, and is fighting from 118 others.
- Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM has put up candidates in nine segments in the city.
- As many as 2,290 contestants are in the fray for the upcoming elections, including Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, his minister-son K T Rama Rao, state Congress president A Revanth Reddy and BJP Lok Sabha members Bandi Sanjay Kumar and D Arvind.
- The model code of conduct came into force in the state after the Election Commission announced the schedule on October 9.
- BRS has fielded candidates in all 119 seats.
- Polling is underway to elect 119 members of the Telangana Legislative Assembly, with voters queuing up to exercise their franchise amid tight security on Thursday.
- Voting began at 7 AM in the 35,655 polling stations across the state, officials said.
- There are 3.26 crore eligible voters, including 1,63,13,268 male voters and 1,63,02,261 female electors, in the state.