Telangana, India: The ongoing Telangana Assembly elections for 119 assembly seats recorded a voter turnout of 36.68% till 1 pm, according to the Election Commission of India. Key areas, including Adilabad, Bhadradri, Hanumankonda, Jagtial, Kamareddy, Khammam, Mahabubabad, Medak, Mulugu, and Siddipet, reported varying percentages of voter turnout.
Adilabad recorded 41.88%, Bhadradri 39.29%, Hanumankonda 35.29%, Jagtial 46.14%, Kamareddy 40.78%, Khammam 42.93%, Mahabubabad 46.89%, Medak 50.80%, Mulugu 45.69%, and Siddipet 44.35%.
Long queues were observed outside polling stations across Telangana as citizens exercised their voting rights. By 11 am, the state had recorded an overall turnout of 20.64%. A total of 2,290 contestants, including Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao, Minister-son K.T. Rama Rao, Congress State President A Revanth Reddy, and BJP Lok Sabha members Bandi Sanjay Kumar and D Arvind, are in the fray.
In the 2018 elections, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) won 88 of the 119 seats with a 47.4% vote share, while the Congress secured 19 seats. Key leaders, including Chief Minister KCR, Minister KT Rama Rao, YSR Telangana Party President YS Sharmila, BJP’s Arvind Dharmapuri, and Union Minister G Kishan Reddy, cast their votes, urging citizens to participate and strengthen democracy. AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi emphasized the importance of voting to strengthen democracy and restore faith in the Constitution.