Hyderabad: Telangana, the youngest state in India is set to vote on Thursday after witnessing a high-decibel campaign that saw the likes of top national leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rahul Gandhi and ruling BRS supremo K Chandrasekar Rao addressing a series of meetings crisscrossing the state.
Polling to elect 119 members to the Legislative Assembly will take place amid heavy security bandobast. The ruling BRS aims to stay in power in what is turning out to be a triangular electoral contest with Congress and BJP emerging as potent contenders.
Polling station and timings
As many as 35,655 polling stations have been set up across the state with 3.26 crore eligible voters. Polling would be held from 7 AM to 5 PM in 106 constituencies and from 7 AM to 4 PM in 13 Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected areas, official sources said on Wednesday.
There are 2,290 contestants in the fray for the upcoming elections, including Chief Minister KCR, 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 Election Commission has completed all the arrangements for polling as the campaign for Assembly Elections in Telangana is over. Check posts have been set up everywhere in the state to curb the temptations in the elections.
Cash, liquor, jewelry, and other materials being smuggled are being confiscated. In this election, senior citizens above 80 years of age have been allowed to vote at home if they apply. It is estimated that the cost of organizing the elections will be Rs 150 crores.
The polling schedule was announced by the Election Commission on October 9 after which the model code of conduct came into force in the state. Over 2.5 lakh staff are engaged in poll duties, and the counting of votes is scheduled for December 3.
Key candidates
The ruling BRS has fielded candidates in all 119 constituencies. According to the agreed seat-sharing arrangement, BJP and the Jana Sena, led by actor Pawan Kalyan, are competing in 111 and 8 seats, respectively. The Congress has allocated one seat to its ally CPI and is contesting in the remaining 118 seats.
The BJP is vigorously campaigning to secure power for the first time in the southern state. Chief Minister KCR is contesting from two segments, Gajwel and Kamareddy, representing Gajwel in the outgoing Legislative Assembly.
The AIMIM, led by Asaduddin Owaisi, has fielded candidates in nine segments within the city. The BRS aims to continue its winning streak since 2014, while the Congress is determined to secure victory after facing defeat in 2018 and four years earlier when the previous UPA government granted statehood to Telangana.
Exciting contests are unfolding in Kamareddy and Gajwel. Congress has nominated its state president, Revanth Reddy, to challenge the chief minister in Kamareddy, while BJP candidate Venkata Ramana Reddy is a formidable opponent. In Gajwel, BJP's election campaign chairman Eatala Rajender is challenging CM Rao. Revanth Reddy, a Lok Sabha member, is also contesting from Kodangal, which he had represented earlier. BJP's Rajender is seeking re-election from Huzurabad.
Elections after power-packed campaign
During the campaign, PM Modi addressed rallies for three consecutive days in the state, including at Kamareddy, Nirmal, Maheswaram, and Karimnagar, and participated in a massive roadshow in the state capital. He attended a 'BJP's BC Atma Gourava Sabha' and a public meeting organized by the Madiga Reservation Porata Samithi.
Apart from Modi, senior BJP leaders, including Union Ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, and others, participated in the party's campaign. The saffron party emphasized its promise to appoint a backward caste leader as CM, empower Madigas, and arrange free visits to the Lord Ram temple at Ayodhya.
The campaign highlighted the need for a "double engine government" and criticized the "family rule" of KCR, alleging corruption. BRS held 96 public meetings during the campaign, with working president K T Rama Rao extensively campaigning.
Congress conducted an elaborate campaign led by leaders like Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and Revanth Reddy. The focus was on alleged corruption in the BRS government, along with six poll guarantees. BSP supremo Mayawati also participated in the electioneering.
The National Dam Safety Authority's adverse report on the sinking of a barrage in the Kaleshwaram irrigation project became a source of embarrassment for the BRS government, providing ammunition to the opposition.
Also read:
