Polling begins in Telangana; BRS wrestles against Congress, BJP
What's the story
Polling for the high-octane assembly election in Telangana began at 7:00am on Thursday.
It is expected to continue till 6:00pm, with around 3.17 crore voters deciding the fate of over 2,000 candidates.
The ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), which is seeking a third consecutive term, is facing a tough fight from both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress due to some anti-incumbency factors.
Context
Why does this story matter?
There are 119 assembly seats in Telangana, and the ruling BRS has fielded candidates in all constituencies.
Currently, the BRS has 101 seats, Congress has five, BJP has three, and All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has seven assembly seats.
In the 2014 state assembly polls, the Congress lost to BRS (then Telangana Rashtra Samithi), which emerged as the single-largest party.
Details
Over 2,000 candidates in poll fray
At least 2,290 candidates are vying for assembly seats in the state, including those fighting as independents.
The polling is being held for all 119 seats in a single phase, while the counting will be held on December 3, together with other states.
Meanwhile, Section 144 was imposed 48 hours before the polling, prohibiting the assembly of four or more people across the state.
AIMIM
Polling taking place at 35,655 stations
Around 35,655 polling stations have been set up for the 119 seats, both in rural and urban areas.
There will be live webcasting in several polling locations, particularly those designated as hyper-sensitive, to monitor the situation in real-time.
While the BRS, Congress, and the BJP are the main contenders, MP Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM may gain some more Muslim votes.
Crucial seats
Crucial seats to look out for
Several top leaders, including BRS supremo and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, and his minister-son KT Rama Rao are in the fray.
BJP MPs Bandi Sanjay Kumar, D Arvind, and Soyam Bapurao are also contesting in the crucial polls.
Notably, BRS has fielded KCR from two constituencies—Gajwel and Kamareddy. He is up against BJP MLA Etala Rajender in Gajwel.
Security
Additional security arrangements in place
According to reports, over 2.5 lakh staff have been engaged for the Telangana assembly polls.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has also deployed 3,000 personnel from other uniformed services in Telangana.
In addition to the 50 companies of the Telangana State Special Police, 375 companies of the Central Forces are manning the security arrangements in and around polling stations.