Amid tightened security arrangement, polling for Telangana Assembly elections began for all 119 seats. The voting which began at 8 am will culminate at 5 pm.
Over 2.8 crore registered voters including 1,41,56,182 men and 1,39,05,811 women in Telangana to vote. A total of 1821 candidates including 135 women are in the fray for the 119-member Telangana Assembly.
The polling is being held on 51,796 polling stations. For smooth and peaceful conduct of poll, over 1.6 lakh poll personnel have been deployed in the state.
Telangana Assembly elections 2018 LIVE UPDATES:
15:50 PM: 56.17% voter turnout recorded till 3 PM in Telangana.
14:50 PM: Former Congress President Sonia Gandhi sends message to the people of Telangana.
14:45 PM:
14:30 PM: Congress’ candidate from Kalwakurthy, Challa Vamshi Chand Reddy was allegedly attacked earlier today. The attackers are yet to be identified. Reddy was later shifted to Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences Hospital in Hyderabad and is out of danger, the news agency has reported.
14:10 PM: Caretaker CM of Telangana cast his vote at a polling station in Siddipet.
13:40 PM: 49.15% voter turnout recorded till 1 PM in Telangana.
12:35 PM: BJP MP Bandaru Dattatreya casts his vote at booth no.229 in Ramnagar of Musheerabad constituency in Hyderabad.
12:25 PM: Telangana DGP Mahinder Reddy said polling is going on peacefully across the state.
12:10 PM: Sania Mirza cast her vote at Film Nagar Cultural Center in Hyderabad.
11:59 AM: Voter turnout recorded till 11.00 am in Telangana is 23.4%.
11:40 AM: Shuttler PV Sindhu had to return without casting her vote since the EVM was malfunctioning, thus delaying polling process in Kokapet in Hyderabad. She said she will come back later in the day after her practice session.
11:35 AM: KT Rama Rao arrives to cast his ballot in Hyderabad. “I think people will vote for their own state, I hope they turn out in large numbers,” he said.
11:20 AM: “Appealing to the citizens of Telangana to exercise their right to vote today. Remember that every vote counts and will make a difference,” Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu tweets.
10:30 AM: Rohingyas warned against voting using fake ID cards.
10:05 AM: Voting turnout recorded till 9.30 am in Telangana is 10.15%.
9:50 AM: TRS MP K Kavitha stands in a queue to cast her vote at polling booth no. 177 in Pothangal, Nizamabad.
9:45 AM: Asaduddin Owaisi casts his vote at polling booth no. 317 at Mailardevpally, Shastripuram.
9:30 AM: Badminton player Jwala Gutta took to Twitter to say her name had disappeared from the voters’ list after she checked it online.
9:22 AM: Voting turnout in Telangana is 8.97% till 9 AM.
9:20 AM: Former minister and TRS candidate from Khairatabad, Danam Nagender, came to Indiranagar polling station wearing a pink scarf, symbolising the party colour. When a BJP agent objected to it, TRS workers thrashed him. BJP candidate Ch Ramachandra Reddy has lodged a complaint with the Election Commission as well as the police
9:05 AM: At one of the polling stations at Hayathnagar in Ranga Reddy district, voters were sent back as polling could not commence due to malfunctioning EVMs.
9:00 AM: Actor Chiranjeevi cast his vote at booth no. 152 in Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad.
8:50 AM: According to reports, the EVM stopped functioning at Sardarpura constituency after Ashok Gehlot cast his vote.
8:45 AM: Deputy Chief Minister Kadiyan Srihari cast his vote in Warangal.
8:40 AM: Due to a technical glitch, polling in Kodangal booth began an hour late.
8: 30 AM: BJP’s G Kishan Reddy casts his vote at polling booth no.7 in Kachiguda, Hyderabad.
8:22 AM: Actor Allu Arjun stands in a queue to cast his vote at booth no. 152 in Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad.
8:20 AM: Actor Akkineni Nagarjuna and his wife & actor Amala Akkineni stand in a queue to cast their votes at booth no. 151 in Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad.
8:10 AM: In a tweet, PM Modi appeals people of Telangana to cast their vote in large numbers.
7:55 AM: Voting is yet to begin at the polling station at GHMC Indoor Stadium, Amberpet due to a technical problem.
7:45 AM: State Irrigation Minister T Harish Rao casts his vote in polling booth no. 102 in Siddipet constituency.
7:30 AM: In a tweet, BJP President Amit Shah said, “I appeal to my sisters and brothers of Telangana to come out and vote in large numbers for a appeasement-free and development-oriented government. I specially urge my young friends to participate in this biggest festival of democracy without fail.”
7:15 AM: People queue outside a polling station in Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad to cast their votes.
7:00 AM: Voting in Telangana begins.
Also Read: Telangana Assembly elections 2018: Voting for all 119 constituencies begin