Hyderabad: Polling was underway for three seats of Telangana Legislative Council from teachers’ and graduates’ constituencies Thursday.
Voting commenced at 8 a.m. in the Medak-Nizamabad-Adilabad-Karimnagar graduates’ and teachers’ constituencies and the Warangal-Khammam-Nalgonda teachers’ constituency.
The Election Commission officials said the polling was underway in a smooth manner with no untoward incident being reported from any place. The polling will continue till 4 p.m.
The state government declared a holiday for educational institutions to facilitate a smooth polling process.
In the Medak-Nizamabad-Adilabad-Karimnagar graduates’ constituency, 3,55,159 graduates are eligible to exercise their franchise, and the Election Commission has set up 499 polling stations for them.
A total of 56 candidates have entered the fray, but the main contest is between the candidates of the ruling Congress party and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The main opposition, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), has stayed away from the contest. BJP has also fielded candidates for teachers’ constituencies. The elections for teachers’ segments are contested on a non-party basis.
Fifteen candidates are in the fray for the Medak-Nizamabad-Adilabad-Karimnagar teachers’ constituency, while 19 candidates are trying their luck in the Warangal-Khammam-Nalgonda teachers’ constituency.
Election authorities have set up 274 polling stations for 27,088 voters in the Medak-Nizamabad-Adilabad-Karimnagar teachers’ constituency. Similarly, 200 polling stations have been set up for 25,759 voters in the Warangal-Khammam-Nalgonda teachers’ constituency.
The polling is being done through ballot papers. A total of 1,200 ballot boxes, including 600 jumbo boxes, are being used in this election. Teachers in Medak-Nizamabad-Adilabad-Karimnagar are eligible to cast two votes – one for the teachers’ constituency and the other for the graduates’ constituency. Those who were graduates before 2021 are eligible to vote.
The counting of votes in all three constituencies will be held March 3.
Congress and the BJP are locked in a direct fight in the Medak-Nizamabad-Adilabad-Karimnagar graduates’ constituency, which is currently represented by senior Congress leader and former Minister T. Jeevan Reddy.
The stakes are high for both the national parties, as the MLC election is being held about 15 months after the Assembly elections in which the Congress party wrested power from BRS.
The Congress has fielded V. Narender Reddy, who is pitted against BJP’s C. Anji Reddy. The BJP, which won all four Lok Sabha seats in this segment last year, is confident of wresting the seat from Congress.
Leaders of both the national parties actively participated in the election campaign. Union Minister for Coal and Mines G. Kishan Reddy, who is also the state BJP president and Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar, who represents Karimnagar Lok Sabha constituency, led the campaign. BJP MPs and MLAs also addressed several meetings in all three constituencies.
For Congress, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy addressed three public meetings. Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president B. Mahesh Kumar Goud and other leaders also participated in the campaign.
IANS
