MLC Polls Begin in Telangana; Graduate, Teacher Seats at Stake

Voting for the Telangana Legislative Council (MLC) elections commenced on Thursday across designated areas. The government declared a holiday in regions where polling is taking place to facilitate voter participation. Employees in both public and private sectors have been granted leave to cast their votes.

Elections are being held for two MLC seats representing graduate and teacher constituencies in Karimnagar, Nizamabad, Adilabad, and Medak districts in North Telangana. Voting, which began at 8 a.m., will continue until 4 p.m. Authorities have made extensive arrangements to ensure a smooth and peaceful election process.

A total of 3,55,159 graduate voters and 27,088 teacher voters are eligible to participate. Across 15 districts, officials have set up 773 polling stations, including 499 designated for graduates and 274 for teachers. Additionally, 93 joint polling centers have been arranged for voters eligible in both categories to cast their ballots at a single location.

To enhance security and transparency, CCTV cameras have been installed at every polling station, and webcasting is being conducted. Election officials are monitoring the process from a central control room. A deployment of 5,000 police personnel and 3,400 election staff has been made to oversee the polling.

A total of 56 candidates are contesting for the graduate MLC seats. Key candidates include Alfors Narender Reddy from the Congress, Chinnamail Anji Reddy representing the BJP, Puli Prasanna Harikrishna from the BSP, and Sardar Ravinder Singh from the All India Forward Bloc. Additionally, 52 independent candidates are vying for these positions.

For the teacher MLC seat, 15 candidates are competing, including Malka Komuraiah, Mahender Reddy from PRTU, sitting MLC Raghotham Reddy, and Ashok Kumar. The BJP has fielded its candidate, while the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has chosen not to contest these two seats. However, BRS support is expected to play a crucial role in the outcome. Intense campaigning by major parties has heightened interest in the election results.

Unlike electronic voting machines, the elections are being conducted through ballot paper voting. Given the high number of candidates, jumbo ballot papers are being used. Voters must rank their preferred candidates in order, making the voting process more detailed. Electoral officials have closely inspected polling materials and ensured proper sealing of ballot boxes before the start of polling.

The Election Returning Officer has instructed that voters present their voter identification card along with any of the 12 approved identity documents mandated by the Central Election Commission.

After polling concludes, all ballot boxes will be securely transported to Karimnagar. The boxes will be stored in a designated strongroom under strict security measures. The counting process is scheduled to begin on March 3 and is expected to continue for two days.

Authorities have announced a special holiday for government employees, as well as those working in private, commercial, and industrial sectors, enabling them to participate in the elections.