Telangana Election 2023 Polling: Over 3 Cr Voters To Decide Fate Of 2,290 Candidates Today

Telangana will vote in a triangular contest today with the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) trying hard to win the battle against the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS). A total of 3.17 crore voters are qualified to cast ballots to choose representatives for a 119-member Assembly. 2,290 candidates are running overall, representing 109 parties, including national and local parties. 

This time, 103 MLAs are seeking re-election with the majority of them belonging to the ruling BRS. Polling will be held in 119 constituencies from 7 am to 6 pm, while the counting of votes will be taken up on December 3. After intense campaigning by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS), and Congress, Telangana is set to hold polls in 119 constituencies today.

The incumbent BRS is vying for a third term, citing its performance and commitments made over the last decade. The Congress is rallying for support to establish its inaugural government in the state, while the BJP pledges to terminate the "misrule and corruption" of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi. If K Chandrashekar Rao, commonly known as KCR, secures another term, it will mark the first instance of a Chief Minister from a Southern state serving three consecutive terms.

The high-octane election campaigning concluded in Telangana on Tuesday, with all preparations finalized for voting across the districts.

Incumbent CM K Chandrashekar Rao is contesting from two seats -his original seat Gajwel and Kamareddy. While he is facing BJP leader Etela Rajender in Gajewal, Congress state unit chief Revanth Reddy is taking him on in Kamareddy. Apart from squaring off with KCR, both Etela and Revanth Reddy are also contesting from two seats, with the BJP leader from Huzurabad and the Congress' best bet Reddy from Kodangal.

Among the highly discussed seats is Korutla from where BJP has fielded Lok Sabha member Arvind Dharmapuri against Kalvakuntla Sanjay of BRS, and Narsinga Rao Juvvadi of Congress. Moreover, from Maheshwaram, the BRS has pitted Patlolla Sabitha Indra Reddy against K Laxma Reddy (Congress) and Andela Sriramulu Yadav (BJP). From Goshamahal, the Bharatiya Janata Party has fielded its Hindutva firebrand leader T Raja Singh, whose suspension was revoked last month following his reply to the show-cause notice issued by the party after a row was triggered by his remarks against Prophet Muhammad. (With agency inputs)