Hyderabad, March 3 (IANS) The counting of votes for the Telangana Legislative Council elections to two teachers and one graduate constituency is underway on Monday.
Medak-Nizamabad-Adilabad-Karimnagar, The Teacher Constituencies of Medak-Nizamabad-Adilabad-Karimnagar, and Warangal-Khammam-Nalgonda Began at 8 am
The polling for these seats was held on February 27 through ballot paper, and the counting process is expected to take two to three days.
The Election Commission officials opened strong rooms in the presence of candidates or their agents.
For the graduate and teacher constituencies of the Medak-Nizamabad-Adilabad-Karimnagar, the counting began in Ambedkar Indoor Stadium in Karimnagar.
The counting of votes in the Warangal-Khammam-Nalgonda teachers’ constituency was underway at the godown of Warehousing Corporation in Nalgonda.
The candidates polling more than 50 per cent of first preference votes will be declared elected. If there are no winners in the first preference votes, the counting of second preference votes will be taken up.
The process is likely to take 36 hours in the two teachers’ constituencies while it may take three days in the graduates’ constituency.
The Medak-Nizamabad-Adilabad-Karimnagar graduates’ Constituency had recorded 70.4 per cent poling. The Voter Turnout in the Medak-Nizamabad-Adilabad-Karimnagar Teachers ‘Constituency was 91.9 per cent when the warangal-khammam-nalgonda teachers’ Constituency Recorded a 93.55 per cent.
A total of 56 candidates are in the fray in the Medak-Nizamabad-Adilabad-Karimnagar graduates’ constituency. As Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) stayed away, the main contest was between the ruling Congress party and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). As many as 3,55,159 graduates were eligible to cast their vote.
Though elections to teachers’ segments were held on a non-party basis, the BJP fielded candidates in both segments. While 15 candidates are in the fray in the Medak-Nizamabad-Adilabad-Karimnagar constituency, 19 candidates contested in the Warangal-Khammam-Nalgonda constituency.
The Medak-Nizamabad-Adilabad-Karimnagar Teachers ‘Constituency and the Warangal-Khammam-Nalgonda Teachers’ constituency have 27,088 and 25,759 voters, respectively.
The 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 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.
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
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