Stage set for Telangana Graduates MLC Elections today

Hyderabad: The stage is set for polling to the Telangana Legislative Council from two Graduates' constituencies Mahbubnagar- Rangareddy- Hyderabad and Nalgonda- Warangal- Khammam where multi-cornered contests are being witnessed. Since these elections have become a matter of prestige for both the TRS and BJP, these two parties are leaving no stone unturned and are making all-out efforts to see that the voters exercise their franchise. Both these parties have been working out strategies and have been gearing up the cadre for mobilisation of voters on Sunday.

Polling would be held from 8 am to 4 pm for Mahbubnagar- Rangareddy-Hyderabad and Warangal-Khammam- Nalgonda Graduates' constituencies. Jumbo-sized ballot boxes and large ballot papers have been readied for the polling in view of the large number of candidates in fray.

More than 10-lakh graduates would be exercising their franchise in over 1,500 polling booths. A total number of candidates in the election are 164, including 93 in Mahbubnagar-Rangareddy- Hyderabad and 71 in Nalgonda- Warangal- Khammam.

Both the TRS and BJP had taken up a high-voltage campaign. The TRS wants to ensure that the brakes are put on the surge of BJP and the BJP wants to strengthen its position particularly after its win in Dubbaka Assembly bypolls and good performance in the GHMC elections.

The campaign had witnessed war of words between the ruling TRS and the opposition BJP and Congress party. The leaders were indulged in allegations and counter allegations during the campaign. TRS working president KT Rama Rao was vocal against the BJP government at the Centre. Union Minister G Kishan Reddy and other leaders targeted the TRS government. The support extended by KTR to the ongoing agitation in Visakhapatnam opposing privatisation of the steel plant also came in for sharp criticism from the Opposition parties.

The interesting part in this election is that all parties had fielded known faces. While BJP candidate N Ramchander Rao is pitted against Surabhi Vani Devi, daughter of former prime minister P V Narasimha Rao in the Mahbubnagar- Ranga Reddy- Hyderabad graduates' constituency. The Congress had fielded G Chinna Reddy and L Ramana, TDP state president is also contesting. In addition there are a large number of independent candidates, including Prof K Nageshwar.

In Nalgonda- Warangal- Khammam there are candidates like sitting member Palla Rajeshwar Reddy, G Premender Reddy from BJP, Ramulu Naik from Congress, Prof Kodandaram independents like Teenmar Malanna, Jayasaradhi Reddy, Rani Rudrama Devi and others are also in the fray.

While campaigns by major parties have been fortified by money power, the independent candidates have evolved a novel style of campaign. They have been going to the voters telling them who should be their first preference and who should be the second preference candidate at the time of voting. The voters will have to cast their preferential votes to their candidates in the order of 1, 2, 3… etc. The polling staff would give the pen with which the voters have to cast their vote. Postal ballot paper facility is being provided for the senior citizens and Covid-19 positive patients. Voting for first preference is compulsory to make the vote valid.

However, what is causing concern for all candidates is about the voter turnout on Sunday. A senior minister held a tele-conference with the party workers and asked them to ensure the voting percentage was high. The leader asked the workers to make the agents wear pink shirts in the polling booths.

The BJP leaders on the other hand were stressing on asking the graduates to cast a single preference. According to party leaders, the workers were told to ensure the graduates give single preferential votes to their candidate.