Telangana Assembly election 2023: Around 63.94% voter turnout till 5 PM | Check update, date of counting of votes, results announcement of 119 Assembly seats

Telangana Assembly election 2023: The voters of Telangana are queuing up in good numbers on Thursday, November 30, to decide the fate of nearly 2,500 MLA aspirants in the polling being held for 119 Assembly seats in the state. The voting commenced at 7 am and will end at 5 pm. About 63.94 per cent of voters had cast their votes till 5 PM, according to the data shared by Election Commission of India officials.

Telangana Assembly election 2023: BRS vs Congress vs BJP

In this Telangana Assembly elections 2023, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), former Telangana Rashtra Samiti, is aiming to retain power for the third time in the state, while the Congress is keen to upset the ruling party's chances.

The BJP, aspiring to establish its first government in the southern state, has also actively engaged national leaders and chief ministers from its governed states in an extensive 50-day campaign to secure victory.

Telangana Assembly election 2023: How many contestants are there in the state?

A total of 2,290 candidates are participating in the Telangana Assembly elections 2023, with key figures such as Chief Minister KCR, his minister-son KT Rama Rao, State Congress President A Revanth Reddy, and BJP Lok Sabha members Bandi Sanjay Kumar and D Arvind among them.

The BRS has nominated candidates for all 119 seats, while allies, the BJP and the Janasena, are competing in 111 and 8 seats, respectively. The Congress is contending for 118 seats and has allocated one seat to the CPI. The AIMIM, led by Asaduddin Owaisi, has fielded candidates in nine assembly seats within the state.

Telangana Assembly election 2023: How many voters are there in the state?

As per the data of the electoral roll, the number of eligible voters in Telangana is 3.17 crore, among which 5,32,990 are young electors who attained the age of 18 years, 5,06,493, 2,557, and 4,43,943 are marked as PwD, Third Gender, and Senior Citizen (80+), respectively.

Telangana Assembly election 2023: Big names who cast votes in the state

Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, accompanied by his wife K. Shobha, voted in Chinramadaka village in Siddipet district.

Union Minister and state BJP president G Kishan Reddy, BRS Working President Rama Rao, his sister and party MLC K Kavitha, and AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi were among the early voters after polling began at 7 AM. Renowned personalities from the film industry, including Chiranjeevi and Allu Arvind, also fulfilled their civic duty by casting their votes.

Kavitha, daughter of CM Rao, cast her vote in Banjara Hills. "I sincerely request everybody in Telangana to come out and exercise their right. Because when you vote, you have the right to question us. When you vote, you can hold the politicians accountable," she said.

Owaisi, who voted at a school in the Rajendranagar Assembly constituency, also urged the voters to exercise their franchise.
"We are hopeful that we will do well. Now it is for the people to come out to vote in thousands and lakhs and exercise the right to vote so that you reward those candidates and parties who have been working for you and who have great concern for you," he said.

Telangana Assembly election 2023: Previous poll outcomes

In the 2018 Telangana election, the BRS won 88 seats and has been in the ruling saddle. The INC won 19 seats, and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) won 2 seats. The BJP won 1 seat, the AIMIM won 7 seats, and Independents won one seat.

With the inputs from PTI