Telangana gears up for single-phase Assembly election on Thursday

Hyderabad: The stage is set for the single-phase election to the Telangana Legislative Assembly on Thursday, involving an electorate of more than 3.26 crore to determine the fate of 2,290 candidates.

The polling will commence at 0700 hours in all the 119 constituencies and end at 1700 hours, except in 13 Naxalism-affected constituencies, including Sirpur, Chennur, Bellampally, Manchiryala, Asifabad, Manthani, Bhupalpally, Mulugu, Pinapaka, Illandu, Kothagudem, Aswaraopeta, and Bhadrachalam, where the voting will conclude at 1600 hours.

Of the more than 3.26 crore voters, male voters are over 1.62 crores, female voters are more than 1.63 crores, and transgenders number 2,676.

L B Nagar constituency has the maximum number of 48 candidates, while the lowest number of seven contestants are in the fray from Narayanpet constituency.

The election authorities have made elaborate arrangements by deploying more than 2.08 lakh polling staff in 35,655 polling stations and have made available polling material and voting machines at all the polling booths.

Tight security arrangements have been put in place by posting more than 45,000 security personnel, including paramilitary forces, and 35,500 Home Guards to ensure smooth and orderly polling.

About 1800 squads are also deployed to check irregularities during the election. The sale of liquor has been banned until the end of polling.

Election authorities have imposed restrictions on the broadcast of election-related news during the next 48 hours.

The long-drawn, no-holds-barred campaigning ended at 1700 hours on Tuesday.

Law enforcement agencies have seized cash, gold, liquor, freebies, among others, all worth over Rs 737 crore in poll-bound Telangana upto November 28, ever since the model code of conduct came into force in the state on October 9, the official said.

Counting will take place on December 3, along with Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Mizoram.