Telangana elections 2018 highlights: 67% polling recorded

Chief Electoral Officer of Telangana, Rajat Kumar says a final report from the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) has been sought on shuttler Jwala Gutta’s name missing from voter list.

7:00 pm IST

Rajasthan records 72.62% voter turnout

Rajasthan has recorded an interim voter turnout of 73 % till now.

6:52 pm IST

67% voter turnout recorded in Telangana assembly elections

Umesh Sinha, Deputy Election Commissioner says voting is still underway at some polling stations. Final figures are still to come. Interim voter turnout recorded till now in Telangana assembly elections is 67%. Last year, voter turnout recorded was 69.5%, reports news agency ANI.

5:07 pm IST

Polling ends in Telangana

Polling ends in Telangana. Figures of final poll percentage will be announced shortly

4:52 pm IST

13 constituencies record 65-70 % polling

As per the tentative estimates, the 13 constituencies recorded 65-70 % polling till the closing hours.

4:48 pm IST

Telangana DGP says polling went on peacefully

“Polling went on peacefully without any law and order problem. Those who are already in the queue will be allowed to cast their vote,” Director General of Police M Mahender Reddy said.

4:45 pm IST

Polling ends at 4 pm

Polling comes to an end at 4 pm in 13 constituencies which were identified as sensitive in view of their proximity to Maoist-affected areas in the borders of Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh.

3:50 pm IST

56.17% voter turnout at 3 pm

The voter turnout in Telangana stood at 56.17% at 3pm.

3:02 pm IST

Telangana waives toll tax for voters heading to native places

With hundreds of people from Hyderabad heading to their native places to cast their votes in the Telangana Assembly elections on Friday, the state government decided to exempt them from toll tax.

Chief Secretary S.K. Joshi issued orders to this effect following a request from Chief Electoral Officer Rajath Kumar.

2:40 pm IST

47.8% voter turnout by 2:30 pm

The voter turnout by 2:30 pm stood at 47.8%.

2:30 pm IST

Will come back to power with huge majority: KCR

TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao Friday exuded confidence that his party would come back to power in Telangana with a “huge majority.” There is a “very, very positive” mood among voters towards the party, KCR, as Rao is popularly known as, told reporters at his native village Chintamadaka where he cast his vote in the Assembly polls.

1:15 pm IST

41.96% voter turnout at 1 pm

The voter turnout in Telangana at 1 pm stood at 41.96%.

1:08 pm IST

Telangana PCC chief N Uttam Kumar casts his vote

Telangana PCC chief N Uttam Kumar Reddy and his wife Padmavathi cast their votes in Kodad.

1:05 pm IST

TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao casts vote

Telangana Rashtra Samithi president and caretaker chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and his wife Shobha exercised their franchise at his native village Chintamadaka in Siddipet district on Friday afternoon.

12:45 pm IST

BJP MP Bandaru Dattatreya casts his vote

BJP MP Bandaru Dattatreya casts his vote at booth no.229 in Ramnagar of Musheerabad constituency in Hyderabad.

12:10 pm IST

KT Rama Rao casts his vote in Hyderabad

KCR’s son and IT minister KT Rama Rao cast his vote at St Nizamia High School, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad.

12:05 pm IST

Sania Mirza casts her vote

Sania Mirza cast her vote at Film Nagar Cultural Center in Hyderabad.

Be a part of your democracy ..
Right and duty to Vote..
🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/Gix011IVgZ

— Sania Mirza (@MirzaSania) December 7, 2018

11:30 am IST

Youngest state of India, Telangana has lost four precious years: Randeep Singh Surjewala

The youngest state of India, Telangana has lost four precious years due to ‘Corruption, Commission & Coterie Raj’

Let us throw out the arrogance of power and usher in a New era towards a ‘Bangaru Telangana’#CongressIsWinning 🤚

CP @RahulGandhi Ji’s Message:- pic.twitter.com/8v5zFCUctg

— Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) December 7, 2018

11:19 am IST

23.17% voter turnout till 11 am

The voter turnout in Telangana stood at 23.17% till 11 am.

11:15 am IST

Vote, a weapon to fight against system: Former Maoist ideologue

Former Maoist ideologue and balladeer 70-year-old Gaddar cast his vote in Alwal for the first time in his life. He registered himself as voter in April last. He now says that vote is also a weapon to fight against the system.

11:07 am IST

60-year old man dies of heart attack while in queue to vote

A 60-year old man Perumandla Swamy died of heart attack while standing in the queue for casting his vote at a polling station in Paidipalli village of Warangal district.

11:05 am IST

Congress’ Vijayashanti, Dasoju Sravan cast their votes

Actor Vijayashanti and Congress candidate from Khairatabad Dasoju Sravan cast their votes.

11:00 am IST

Actor Junior NTR casts his vote

Popular actor Junior NTR cast his vote at Jubilee Hills.

10:53 am IST

BJP workers allegedly pelt stones at Congress candidate Ch Vamsichand Reddy

Stone pelting allegedly by BJP workers on Congress candidate Ch Vamsichand Reddy at Amangal in Kalwakurthy constituency; Injured Reddy shifted to Hyderabad for treatment

10:35 am IST

11% voter turnout till 10 am

Voter turnout in Telangana till 10 am stood at 11%.

10:20 am IST

Telangana chief secretary SK Joshi casts his vote

Telangana chief secretary SK Joshi cast his vote at Prashasan Nagar, Jubilee Hills, whereas Telangana Jana Samithi president M Kodandaram cast his vote at Tarnaka.

10:05 am IST

TRS MP K Kavitha to cast her vote at polling booth in Pothangal

TRS MP K Kavitha stood in a queue to cast her vote at polling booth no. 177 in Pothangal, Nizamabad.

10:00 am IST

10.15% voter turnout till 9:30 am

10.15% voter turnout in Telangana till 9:30 am.

9:55 am IST

Actor Chiranjeevi in queue at polling booth in Hyderabad

Actor Chiranjeevi stood in a queue to cast his vote at polling booth no. 148 in Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad.

9:48 am IST

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi casts his vote

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) party president Asaduddin Owaisi casts his vote at polling booth no. 317 at Mailardevpally, Shastripuram.

9:45 am IST

Former home minister Sabita Indra Reddy casts her vote

Former home minister Sabita Indra Reddy, Chevella MP K Vishweshwar Reddy cast their votes.

9:35 am IST

My name disappeared from voting list, tweets Jwala Gutta

Badminton player Jwala Gutta took to Twitter and said that her name disappeared from the voters list after she had checked it online.

“I checked my name online 2-3 weeks ago, my mother’s and my names were there, my father’s and my sister’s were missing. Today we went to cast vote but my name was also missing. I don’t understand this happened. I’ve been living here for 12 years,” said Jwala Gutta, according to ANI.

Surprised to see my name disappear from the voting list after checking online!! #whereismyvote

— Gutta Jwala (@Guttajwala) December 7, 2018

9:25 am IST

I request all voters cast votes in large numbers: PM Modi

“It is the day of polling in Rajasthan today. I request all the voters of the state to take part in this celebration of democracy with full excitement and cast votes in large numbers,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted.

9:19 am IST

9.37% voter turnout till 9 am

9.37% polling reported by 9 am, said EC officials.

9:15 am IST

Telugu actor Venkatesh casts his vote

Telugu film actor Venkatesh cast his vote in Jubilee Hills polling booth in Hyderabad.

9:05 am IST

Dy CM Kadiyan Srihari casts his vote in Warangal

Deputy chief minister Kadiyan Srihari cast his vote in Warangal.

9:00 am IST

TRS, BJP workers engage in tussle at Indiranagar polling station

Former minister and TRS candidate from Khairatabad Danam Nagender came to Indiranagar polling station wearing pink scarf symbolising party. When BJP agent objected to it, TRS workers thrashed him. BJP candidate Ch Ramachandra Reddy has lodged a complaint with EC and the cops.

5:55 am IST

Telangana BJP president casts his vote

Telangana BJP president and Musheerabad candidate K Laxman cast his vote at Gandhinagar booth.

8:50 am IST

Hyderabad police commissioner casts his vote

Hyderabad police commissioner Anjani Kumar cast his vote at Nampally polling station.

8:45 am IST

Cyberabad police commissioner casts vote

Cyberabad police commissioner V C Sajjannar cast his vote.

8:40 am IST

Tollywood actors cast vote in Hyderabad

Tollywood actors Chiranjeevi, Nagarjuna and Allu Arjun cast their votes in Jubilee Hills polling station.

8:37 am IST

EVMs malfunction in Hayathnagar, voters sent back

At one of the polling stations at Hayathnagar in Ranga Reddy district, voters were sent back as polling could not be commences due to malfunctioning of EVMs.

8:35 am IST

BJP’s G Kishan Reddy casts vote

BJP’s G Kishan Reddy cast his vote at polling booth no.7 in Kachiguda, Hyderabad.

8:30 am IST

Andhra Pradesh govt declares holiday for secretariat employees

Andhra Pradesh government declared a holiday for secretariat employees and those attached to heads of departments who shifted from Hyderabad to Amaravati after capital location to participate in Telangana polls.

Over 3,000 employees are expected to exercise their franchise.

8:27 am IST

Former minister and Bahujan Left Front candidate Mothkupalli Narsimhulu suffers heart attack

Former minister and Bahujan Left Front candidate Mothkupalli Narsimhulu from Alair constituency suffered a heart attack, and has been shifted to Hyderabad after initial treatment at Bhongir government hospital.

8:25 am IST

PCC working president A Revanth Reddy casts vote

PCC working president A Revanth Reddy casts his vote at his native village Kondareddipalli.

8:23 am IST

Polling begins at Kodangal late by an hour

Due to technical glitch polling in Kodangal booth began an hour late.

8:22 am IST

Actor Allu Arjun outside Hyderabad polling booth

Telangana: Actor Allu Arjun stands in a queue to cast his vote at booth no. 152 in Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad. #TelanganaElections2018 pic.twitter.com/5kuui5v5Wy

— ANI (@ANI) December 7, 2018

8:20 am IST

Actor Akkineni Nagarjuna, his wife actor Amala Akkineni outside polling booth in Hyderabad

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.

Telangana: 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. #TelanganaElections2018 pic.twitter.com/IZpOhBmyTU

— ANI (@ANI) December 7, 2018

8:15 am IST

Over 1.50 lakh polling officials on duty

Over 2.80 crore electorate are eligible to exercise their franchise in the state, which has a total of 32,815 polling stations. More than 1.50 lakh polling officials, including reserve staff, are on duty.

8:10 am IST

1.39 crore female voters registered

Out of a total 2,80,64,684 voters registered in the state’s electoral roll, 1,41,56,182 are males while 1,39,05,811 are females.

Read: Urban vs Rural: Voting patterns in Telangana

8:05 am IST

Voters queue outside polling station in Warangal

As polling begins, voters have formed queues outside polling station in Warangal.

8:00 am IST

Polling yet to commence in Kodangal due to technical problems

In Kodangal, from where Telangana PCC chief A Revanth Reddy is contesting, polling is yet to commence due to technical problems.

7:50 am IST

NTR’s granddaughter, TDP candidate from Kukatpally casts vote

NTR’s granddaughter Nandamuri Suhasini, TDP candidate from Kukatpally, cast her vote in Mehdipatnam in Hyderabad.

7:49 am IST

Polling yet to begin at a station in Amberpet due to technical problem

“Voting is yet to begin at the polling station at GHMC Indoor Stadium, Amberpet due to a technical problem. Voting in the state began at 7 am today.

7:35 am IST

44,415 ballot units being used

In all 44,415 ballot units, 7,557 reserve ballot units, 32,016 control units 4,432 reserve control units and 32,016 VVPATs, and 5,261 reserve VVPATs are being used for the polling.

7:30 am IST

People queue outside polling station in Hyderabad

People queue outside a polling station in Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad to cast their votes.

7:21 am IST

Minister G Jagadeesh Reddy casts vote at Suryapet

Minister G Jagadeesh Reddy today casted his vote at Suryapet.

7:20 am IST

Roads and buildings minister Tummala Nageswara Rao casts vote

Roads and buildings minister Tummala Nageswara Rao and his family members vote at Gollagudem village in Khammam district.

7:16 am IST

TRS president KCR’s nephew in Siddipet

TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao’s nephew and irrigation minister T Harish Rao cast their vote at Siddipet.

7:15 am IST

Highest number of 42 contestants in Malkajgiri constituency

In all, 1,821 candidates of different political parties are in fray along with a few independents. Malkajgiri constituency has the highest number of 42 contestants and Banswada the least, 6.

7:13 am IST

Polling to take place in 32,815 polling stations

As polling begins in Telangana, 32,815 polling stations have been set up for the people to cast their vote.

7:07 am IST

Polling officers conduct mock polling for agents

Polling officers are conducting mock polling for agents of contestants to demonstrate functioning of EVMs.

7:05 am IST

Voters form queues outside a polling station in Pothangal

Nizamabad: Voters form queues outside a polling station in Pothangal where voting will begin shortly. #TelanganaElections2018 pic.twitter.com/8FL0hQAqXS

— ANI (@ANI) December 7, 2018

6:30 am IST

Voting to begin shortly in Telangana

In Telangana, polling will be held from 7 am to 5 pm in 106 constituencies while in 13 Left Wing Extremism affected constituencies polling will conclude at 4 pm.

#TelanganaElections2018: #Visuals from a polling booth in Siddipet; voting will start at 7 am pic.twitter.com/HbEzQspQWK

— ANI (@ANI) December 7, 2018

6:25 am IST

KCR, son, nephew among 1,821 candidates in fray

Telangana Chief Minister and TRS President K. Chandrashekhar Rao, his 14 cabinet colleagues including a son and a nephew and state presidents of the Congress and the BJP are among 1,821 candidates in the fray for Telangana Assembly elections.

6:21 am IST

Huge sums of unaccounted cash, liquor seized since Model Code of Conduct came into effect

Huge sums of unaccounted cash and illegal liquor and other goods were seized since the Model Code of Conduct came into effect on September 27.

As per the last count, the total seizures stood at nearly ₹135 crore including unaccounted cash, illegal liquor and other goods, Rajat Kumar said adding that the total seizures was 90 per cent more than that of during 2014 polls.

6:14 am IST

For the first time, VVPAT to be used in Telangana

For the first time, Election Commission is using Voters Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) in Telangana.

As many as 1,821 candidates including a transgender are in the fray in the election.

6:11 am IST

Tight security in Telangana for a smooth election

Additional DG ( Law and order) Jitender told PTI that about one lakh police personnel including 25,000 central paramilitary forces and 20,000 from other states are engaged in poll duties.

A senior police official said security was beefed up at bordering areas which were identified as Left Wing Extremist-affected regions.

6:07 am IST

Over 2.80 crore electorate eligible to exercise vote

Over 2.80 crore electorate are eligible to exercise their franchise in the State, which has a total of 32,815 polling stations across.