In Telangana, amid tight security arrangements, polling for the 17 Lok Sabha Constituencies took off smoothly at 7 AM at most places. Over 3 crore 32 lakh electors including over 9 lakh new voters are to exercise their franchise at over 35 thousand 809 polling stations set up across the state. The polling will continue till 6 PM whereas it will end at 4PM in the purview of 13 Left wing extremism affected Assembly segments.
Total 525 candidates including 50 women are contesting for 17 Lok Sabha constituencies. BJP, BRS and the Congress have fielded candidates in all 17 constituencies in the state, where as CPIM fielded one candidate in Bhongir in a friendly contest. BSP fielded 15 candidates whereas MIM from one.
There are elaborate arrangements in place in Telangana. About 4 lakh personnel including 160 companies of central armed forces are on poll duty.
Meanwhile, all eyes are on Secunderabad and Hyderabad as Union Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy seeking re-election from Secunderabad where two more sitting MLAs, Danam Nagender of the Congress and Padmarao Goud from BRS are in contest. MIM President Asaduddin Owaisi is seeking election for the fifth consecutive term from Hyderabad where BJP’s Kompella Madhavi Lata is making all out efforts to wrest the seat for BJP.
Two more BJP sitting MPs Bandi Sanjay from Karimnagar and Aravind Dharmapuri from Nizamabad are seeking re-election. Former Central Minister Balaram Naik is in the fray in Mahabubabad from the congress. Among other candidates, E Rajender from Malkajgiri, Raghunanadan Rao from Medak, D K Aruna from Mahabubnagar, BB Patil from Zaheerabad, Boora Narsaiah Goud from Bhongir and Konda Vishweswar Reddy from Chevella, all are from BJP.
Sitting MP Ranjit Reddy is in the fray in Chevella from Congress while former MP Mallu Ravi from Nagarkurnool, Kadiyama Kavya from Warangal are in the fray from the Congress.
Sitting BRS MP from Khammam Nama Nageswar Rao and party MP M Kavith from Mahabubabad are seeking re-election. Former state minister Koppula Easwar of the BRS is in the fray from Peddapalle.
