Voting in Progress for Three MLC Positions in Telangana
Click to start listening
Synopsis
On February 27, polling for three Telangana Legislative Council seats representing teachers’ and graduates’ constituencies commenced. With a smooth process reported, the elections will conclude at 4 p.m. Educational institutions are closed to facilitate voting, with significant participation from both Congress and BJP candidates.
Key Takeaways
- Polling started at 8 a.m. and will run until 4 p.m.
- 3,55,159 graduates are eligible to vote in the graduates’ constituency.
- A total of 56 candidates are contesting the elections.
- The counting of votes is set for March 3.
- Congress and BJP are the primary competitors in the elections.
Hyderabad, Feb 27 (NationPress) Voting is currently taking place for three seats in the Telangana Legislative Council representing the teachers’ and graduates’ constituencies on Thursday. Polls began at 8 a.m. in the Medak-Nizamabad-Adilabad-Karimnagar graduates’ and teachers’ constituencies along with the Warangal-Khammam-Nalgonda teachers’ constituency.
Election Commission officials reported that polling is proceeding smoothly with no incidents of concern being noted. The voting process will be open until 4 p.m.
The state administration has declared a holiday for educational establishments to ensure an uninterrupted polling experience.
In the Medak-Nizamabad-Adilabad-Karimnagar graduates’ constituency, 3,55,159 graduates are eligible to vote, with the Election Commission establishing 499 polling stations for this purpose.
A total of 56 candidates are contesting, but the primary competition is between candidates from the ruling Congress party and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), the main opposition party, has opted out of this election. The BJP has also nominated candidates for the teachers’ constituencies, which are contested on a non-partisan basis.
In the Medak-Nizamabad-Adilabad-Karimnagar teachers’ constituency, 15 candidates are in the race, while 19 candidates are competing in the Warangal-Khammam-Nalgonda teachers’ constituency.
Election officials have organized 274 polling stations for 27,088 voters in the Medak-Nizamabad-Adilabad-Karimnagar teachers’ constituency. Likewise, 200 polling stations have been set up for 25,759 voters in the Warangal-Khammam-Nalgonda teachers’ constituency.
The polling is being conducted using ballot papers, with 1,200 ballot boxes available, including 600 jumbo boxes. Teachers in the Medak-Nizamabad-Adilabad-Karimnagar area can cast two votes – one for the teachers’ constituency and another for the graduates’ constituency. Voters who graduated before 2021 are eligible to participate.
The counting of votes for all three constituencies is scheduled for March 3.
The Congress and BJP are engaged in a direct rivalry in the Medak-Nizamabad-Adilabad-Karimnagar graduates’ constituency, currently held by senior Congress leader T. Jeevan Reddy.
The stakes are significant for both national parties as this MLC election comes approximately 15 months after the Assembly elections, where Congress gained power from BRS.
The Congress has nominated V. Narender Reddy, who faces off against BJP’s C. Anji Reddy. The BJP, which secured all four Lok Sabha seats in this area last year, is optimistic about winning this seat from Congress.
Leaders from both national parties have been actively involved in the election campaigning. Union Minister for Coal and Mines G. Kishan Reddy, who also serves as the state BJP president, and Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar, representing the Karimnagar Lok Sabha constituency, spearheaded the campaign. BJP MPs and MLAs conducted numerous meetings within all three constituencies.
For Congress, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy addressed three public gatherings. Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president B. Mahesh Kumar Goud and other leaders also took part in the campaign.
