HYDERABAD: The counting of votes for the 17 Lok Sabha seats in Telangana started at 8 am on Thursday. Post reorganisation, Telangana on April 11 witnessed polling in the first phase and an estimated 61 per cent of voters cast their ballot for the 443 candidates in fray. In Telangana, the ruling TRS is hoping for an encore in the election after sweeping the December assembly elections, while both Congress and BJP are looking to increase their respective tallies. The Election Commission (EC) had set up 34,603 polling stations across the state for smooth conduct of polls. The fate of the candidates will be decided on Thursday when counting of votes will take place.


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Constituencies, voting percentage and total candidates per seat-


1) Adilabad--66.76 per cent--11 candidates


2) Peddapalle--59.24 per cent--17 candidates


3) Karimnagar-- 68 per cent--15 candidates


4) Nizamabad-- 60.57 per cent--185 candidates


5) Zahirabad--67.80 per cent--18 candidates


6) Medak--68.60 per cent


7) Malkajgiri-- 42.75 per cent--12 candidates


8) Secunderabad--39.20 per cent--28 candidates


9) Hyderabad--39.49 per cent--15 candidates


10) Chevella--53.80 per cent--23 candidates


11) Mahbubnagar-- 64.99 per cent--12 candidates


12) Nagarkurnool-- 57.12 per cent--11 candidates


13) Nalgonda-- 66.11 per cent--27 candidates


14) Bhongir--68.25 per cent--13 candidates


15) Warangal-- 60--15 candidates


16) Mahabubabad--59.90 per cent--14 candidates


17) Khammam--67.96 per cent--23 candidates


 


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Exit polls:


The number of seats that the exit poll has predicted are--Today's Chanakya (BJP 1 ± 1), (TRS 14 ± 2), (Congress 1 ± 1), (Others 1 ± 1); India TV-CNX (TRS 14 seats), (Congress 2) and (AIMIM 1); Republic-CVoter (TRS 14 seats).


Key contests:


The TRS has set itself a target of winning 16 seats, leaving the Hyderabad seat to its ally All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM). The other two parties are contesting the seats on their own. TRS working president KT Rama Rao had said in campaign meetings that neither the NDA nor the UPA, is in a position to form a government on its own post-election. TRS can play a key role at the Centre and ensure a better deal for Telangana if it wins 16 seats, he had said.


In addition to its own strength, TRS has the backing of AIMIM chief Assauddin Owaisi, which is expected to help the party get minority votes. The main opposition Congress is going alone in the polls. The opposition CPI and Telangana Jana Samiti (TJS), who are contesting in only a couple of seats each, have declared their support and help to the Congress. However, there is no formal alliance among Congress, CPI and the TJS. Having suffered a drubbing in the Assembly elections (winning only one seat among 119), BJP is contesting all the seats on its own. The party is banking heavily on the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.


Interesting facts in Nizamabad constituency:


* Nizamabad has become a cynosure of all eyes with a large number of candidates in the fray necessitating the deployment of as many as 12 EVMs in each booth. "This is the first time in the world where elections are conducted with such a large number of candidates using (such a large number of) EVMs," Chief Electoral Officer Rajat Kumar had said. In Nizamabad, there are 185 candidates, including 178 farmers who jumped into the fray to support their demand for the remunerative price for turmeric and red sorghum and setting up of a Turmeric Board based in Nizamabad.


* Independent candidate for Nizamabad Lok Sabha constituency Akula Hanmandloo caught attention with his unique campaigning--a slipper in one hand and a resignation letter in the other, urging the voters to hit him with slippers should he fail to deliver the promises made by him during the campaign. He also send the resignation letter on his behalf, if the voters were not satisfied with his work to the assembly speaker. Telangana CM K Chandrashekar Rao's daughter, K Kavitha, is a top contender in the constituency.