Hyderabad: The voters in Telangana gathered at the polling stations before 7 am on Thursday to cast their votes for 119 Assembly seats in the Assembly elections – 2023.

As per the Election Commission sources, nearly 20% voting were recorded at the time 11 am, the voting process started at every polling booth at 7 am. In some polling booths EVM’s are not working at the early hours, the voting process delayed for an half an hour to one hour.

Later the election officers rectified the technical fault of EVMs and continued the polling.  The BRS is going all out to retain power in the state and achieve a hat trick, while the Congress is making strong efforts to wrest power from the BRS, which hopes to overcome the state’s anti-incumbency factor.

Polling started at 7 am and will continue until 5 pm. However, elections in 13 assembly constituencies would finish one hour earlier due to security reasons. BRS and Congress activists clashed near polling stations in eight constituencies by alleging each on other practicing mall practice in the polling. The police are trying to stop the mob not to indulge in any violence incident. The polling stations where clashes started are Kamareddy, Kalluru, Nagarkurnool, Jangaon etc.,.

The following constituencies are Maoist-affected areas, and polling would conclude one hour before in Sirpur, Chennur, Bellampalli, Mancherial, Asifabad, Manthani, Bhupalpalle, Mulugu, Pinapaka, Yellandu, Kothagudem, Aswaraopeta, and Bhadrachalam.

BRS Working President K T Rama Rao and his sister & BRS MLC K Kavitha, Telangana DGP Anjani Kumar, actor Allu Arjun, actor Junior NTR, actor Chiranjeevi and AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi along with his family, and Union Minister for Tourism G Kishan Reddy with his family were utilized their votes in the early hours in their respective polling booths.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday urged the people of Telangana to vote in record numbers in the assembly polls and strengthen the festival of democracy.

Former AICC Chief Rahul Gandhi in his twitter said that Today, Prajalu will defeat Dorala! Brothers and sisters of Telangana, step out and vote in large numbers! Vote to build a ‘Bangaru’ Telangana, Vote for Congress.