Hyderabad sources reported that voting for the 119 seats of Telangana is underway today. Over 2.8 crore voters of Telangana are expected to exercise their franchise to elect the new government in the state. Accordingly voting began at 7 am and will conclude at 5 pm, except in 13 constituencies classified as Left Wing Extremist affected, where the process ends at 4 pm. Election Commission has made elaborate arrangements for a smooth conduct of the voting process in 32,815 polling stations.
Meanwhile for the first time, the Election Commission is using Voters Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) in Telangana. Reports stated that the Assembly polls in Telangana were originally scheduled to be held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha elections next year, but the House was dissolved prematurely on September 6 as per a recommendation by the state cabinet.
Moreover BJP MP Bandaru Dattatreya cast vote at booth no. 229 in Ramnagar of Musheerabad constituency in Hyderabad. Sania Mirza cast her vote at Film Nagar Cultural Center in Hyderabad. 23.4% voter turnout recorded till 11:00 am and10.15% voter turnout recorded till 9:30 am.
