High voter turnout for Teachers’ MLC election

HYDERABAD: Election for the MLC Teachers’ constituency was held peacefully on Monday with 90.4% votes cast by 4pm.
“In a couple of polling stations, voters were standing in queues to vote. So, we are expecting the polling percentage to go up slightly,” Telangana chief electoral officer Vikas Raj told TOI. “The ballot boxes are being shifted to Saroornagar indoor stadium for storage till the counting day, March 16,” he added.
Counting votes took a long time during the last MLC polls due to counting of preferential votes, Vikas Raj said.
“No untoward incident has taken place. So far in the MLC elections, goods, drugs and liquor worth 1.04 crore have been seized. None of these seizures has so far been linked to any of the candidates contesting the polls,” Vikas Raj informed.
The highest per centage of voting was reported in Gadwal districts at 97% followed by 95% in Vikarabad, 94% in Nagarkurnool and Narayanpet, 93.5% in Wanparthy, 87.7 % in Mahabubnagar, 87% in Rangareddy, 83.5% in Medchal-Malkajgiri and 82.5% in Hyderabad.
Twenty-one candidates contested the elections, including a nominee by Bharatiya Janatha Party.