Hyderabad: Over 51 per cent voters cast their votes till 3 p.m. in Telangana Assembly elections on Thursday, officials said. According to Chief Electoral Officer Vikas Raj, 51.89 per cent of voters cast their votes in the first six hours. The turnout was poor in state capital Hyderabad and other urban areas despite special campaigns run by the Election Commission and several NGOs. The statistics show Hyderabad recorded only 31.17 per cent per cent polling while the adjoining Medchal Malkajgiri and Rangareddy districts had also registered low per centage at 28.27 and 42.43 per cent, respectively.
Among 33 districts, Medak registered the highest polling at 69.33 per cent. It was 65.05 in Mahabubabad and 64.45 percent in Gadwal. Jayashankar Bhupalapally districts registered a turnout of 64.30 per cent. The state had recorded a polling of 73.7 per cent in the 2018 elections.
Meanwhile, polling came to an end at 4 p.m. in 13 constituencies in areas of Maoist influence in undivided Adilabad and Khammam districts. These constituencies are Sirpur, Chennur, Bellampalli, Mancherial, Asifabad, Manthani, Bhupalapally, Mulugu, Pinapaka, Yellandu, Kothagudem, Aswaraopet, and Bhadrachalam.
The polling in the remaining constituencies will conclude at 5 p.m. The total voter turnout is yet to come.
Barring minor incidents at a few places, the polling was peaceful and smooth in all 119 Assembly constituencies.
A little over 3.26 crore voters, with women surpassing men, will decide the political fortunes of 2,290 candidates. The Election Commission had made elaborate arrangements for polling at 35,655 polling stations spread across 33 districts. The announcement of results along with 4 other states will be done on December 3.