Telangana: Over 49% voter turnout till 1 pm; Congress MLA injured after BJP activists pelt stones

Around 49.15% of over 2.8 crore voters of Telangana exercised their franchise until 1 pm on Friday, December 7. In an incident of violence, Congress MLA Vamshi Chand Reddy was injured after being pelted by stones allegedly by BJP activists. He was shifted to Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences, Hyderabad

Legislative Assembly elections are being held for the first time in Telangana after its formation as the 2014 Assembly polls were held in undivided Andhra Pradesh.

Polling was underway in the 119 Assembly constituencies in the state amid elaborate arrangements.

Polling began in Telangana at 7 am amid tight security to elect a new Assembly. The polling will be held from 7 am to 5 pm in 106 constituencies, while in 13 Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected constituencies, the polling will conclude at 4 pm.

However, voting is yet to begin at the polling station at Hyderabad GHMC Indoor Stadium, Amberpet, due to a technical problem.

Around 2.8 crore voters will decide the fate of 1,821 candidates in the first election after Telangana was formed.

The ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) is facing a resurgent Congress-led People’s Front in its bid for a second term.

The TRS government dissolved the Assembly about eight months ahead of the schedule in the hope of taking the Opposition parties by surprise but the Congress threw a surprise by coming up with an alliance in a bid to oust the ruling party.

For the 119-member Telangana assembly where the Congress has tied up with rivals TDP, CPI and Telangana Jana Samithi (TJS), a new party floated by M. Kodandaram, who was once Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s friend in the Telangana movement.

Telangana has 51,796 polling stations, an increase of 14.25% over the previous election in 2013.

Several ministers and actors have already cast their votes. State Irrigation Minister T Harish Rao casts his vote in polling booth no. 102 in Siddipet constituency.