Loksabha elections: ECI extends polling hours in Telangana till 6 PM
The extended timings in the constituencies in the State were from 7 am to 6 pm instead of the earlier time frame of 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
HYDERABAD: The polling time has been extended up to 6 p.m. in Telangana due to the heatwave, said Telangana Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Vikas Raj on Wednesday. The decision was made by the Election Commission of India (ECI) after a request by the CEO Telangana.
The extended timings in the constituencies in the State were from 7 am to 6 pm instead of the earlier time frame of 7 am to 5 pm. The extended poll timings are applicable to all 17 parliamentary constituencies, but in the five constituencies of Adilabad, Peddapalli, Warangal, Mahabubabad, and Khammam, they remained the same as in the earlier notification.
A total of 1,488 nominations were filed by 883 candidates in Telangana, among which 428 nomination papers were rejected by the Election Commission of India (ECI), according to Vikas Raj.
According to a statement issued by the CEO here, around 625 nominated candidates validly nominated the papers, whereas 100 candidates were withdrawn. Among the 525 nominated candidates, 475 were male candidates and 50 were female candidates. The maximum number of candidates (45) were from the Secunderabad constituency, and 12 candidates were from the Adilabad district.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) seized Rs. 212 crores, among which Rs. 81 crore was cash, Rs. 46 crore in liquor, Drugs and Narcotics Rs. 26 crore, precious metals worth Rs. 30 crores, and freebies worth Rs. 27 crores.
Telangana has a total of 35,809 polling stations, with the maximum polling at 3,226 stations in the Malkajgiri district.
Telangana CEO Vikas Raj urges voters to make voting an enjoyable experience
Chief Electoral Officer Vikas Raj urged voters in the State to make voting an 'enjoyable experience' by coming to polling stations with families and friends. The CEO said that by voting, people could provide true meaning to democracy.
Vikas Raj said, "So go to booths with clear thoughts about the Government you want, duly utilising the last 48 hours silence period. At polling booths, wheel-chairs, drinking water, medical facilities, toilets, fans, and coolers were provided. Women with babies in arms were provided priority. The people must shun the attitude of 'what if I alone do not vote.' Every vote is important. The Election Commission is focusing on creating awareness about the importance of elections from the school stage itself by forming ELCs. There are two or three ambassadors in each college, educating the students on the importance of voting."