This story is from May 23, 2019

It’s D-Day: After 42-day wait, Telangana, AP poll fate to be out today

It’s D-Day: After 42-day wait, Telangana, AP poll fate to be out today
Picture for representational purpose only.
HYDERABAD: After a 42-day wait, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana will get to know their electoral fate today.
The two states voted on April 11 in the first phase of the extended seven-phase Lok Sabha election, giving enough time to Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu and YSRC chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy to work out their strategies.

Both KCR and Naidu have spent the last few days criss-crossing the country in their effort to cobble together an alliance that can form a government at the Centre. However, most exit polls have given them little to cheer as they have predicted an outright win for the NDA.
Andhra

In Telangana, the fate of 443 candidates contesting in 17 parliamentary constituencies will be decided. While TRS is expected to bag a majority of the Lok Sabha seats, barring Hyderabad, both the national parties, Congress and BJP, are hoping for one or two surprises to remain relevant in the state. In Andhra Pradesh, 319 candidates are in the fray for the 25 Lok Sabha seats.Counting will being at 8 am on Thursday with initial trends coming in by 11 am but the official declaration of results is likely to be delayed due to the Supreme Court ruling of compulsory counting of slips from five VVPAT machines in each assembly segment of the Parliamentary constituency.

Telangana chief electoral officer Dr Rajat Kumar said all arrangements have been made for counting with a special focus on Nizamabad parliamentary constituency where 185 candidates are in fray. As many as 178 turmeric farmers are contesting against KCR’s daughter and sitting MP K Kavitha.
Given the high-stakes battle in both states, the ministry of home affairs has alerted DGPs and chief secretaries in both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh of violence breaking out during counting. They have been asked to bolster security. Sources told TOI that MHA had taken into account provocative posts on social media to send out the alert.
Given the sensitivity around EVMs, authorities have also stepped up security at all counting halls. “Three cordons comprising state and central police forces are being deployed. Carrying cell phones inside counting halls is strictly prohibited,” the CEO said.
Telangana minister for excise and prohibition and TRS leader V Srinivas Goud told TOI, “We will sweep the polls. The public voted for the car symbol irrespective of the candidate. KCR’s agenda should help bag all 16 seats. This will help get funds from the Centre and also get irrigation projects declared as national project.”
BJP is hopeful of winning Secunderabad and Mahbubnagar from where Kishan Reddy and DK Aruna are contesting respectively.
Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee treasurer Gudur Narayana Reddy said, “We expect to win three seats. We are confident about Chevella and Nalgonda. Among Bhongir, Malkajgiri, Zaheerabad and Peddapally we will win one seat.”
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About the Author
U Sudhakar Reddy

Sudhakar Reddy Udumula is the Editor (Investigation) at the Times of India, Hyderabad. Following the trail of migration and drought across the rustic landscape of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Sudhakar reported extensively on government apathy, divisive politics, systemic gender discrimination, agrarian crisis and the will to survive great odds. His curiosity for peeking behind the curtain triumphed over the criminal agenda of many scamsters in the highest political and corporate circles, making way for breaking stories such as Panama Papers Scam, Telgi Stamp Paper Scam, and many others. His versatility in reporting extended to red corridors of left-wing extremism where the lives of security forces and the locals in Maoist-affected areas were key points of investigation. His knack for detail provided crucial evidence of involvement from overseas in terrorist bombings in Hyderabad.

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