All set for Lok Sabha vote counting on Tuesday

The number of rounds for counting varies, with a maximum of 24 rounds in Choppadandi, Yakutpura, and Devarakonda Assembly segments, and a minimum of 13 rounds in Armoor, Bhadrachalam, and Aswaraopet constituencies.

Hyderabad: As the clock ticks down to the counting of votes for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections on Tuesday, all three major political parties in Telangana are pinning their hopes on the voters seeking to outperform each other. With 525 candidates vying for victory from 17 parliamentary constituencies, the stakes are high and all eyes are on the voters’ decision.

In addition to the parliamentary poll results, the Secunderabad Cantonment constituency bypoll results will also be announced on Tuesday. The byelection was held due to the sudden demise of sitting MLA G Lasya Nanditha of the BRS in a road mishap. Telangana saw a 65.67 per cent voter turnout from its 3.32 crore electorate on May 13 as part of the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha polls.

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This marked an increase of 2.83 per cent compared to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, when the BRS secured 9 seats, BJP 4, Congress 3, and AIMIM 1. Party agents are required to be present at counting centre by 7 am, without electronic devices like cellphones, to ensure a smooth process. As per Rule 54 A of the Conduct of Elections Rules 1961, counting will start with postal ballots at 8 am, followed by Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) at 8:30 am. Early trends are expected within an hour.

The number of rounds for counting varies, with a maximum of 24 rounds in Choppadandi, Yakutpura, and Devarakonda Assembly segments, and a minimum of 13 rounds in Armoor, Bhadrachalam, and Aswaraopet constituencies.

The entire process is expected to conclude by around 3 pm. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has made elaborate arrangements for the counting process at 34 locations across the State amid tight security.

Around 12 companies of Central Armed Paramilitary Forces (CAPF) along with the State police have been deployed to ensure smooth completion of the counting process.

Besides a ban on liquor sales from 6 am on June 4 to 6 am on June 5, Section 144 has been imposed and unauthorised persons are prohibited within 100 meters of the vote-counting hall. Despite varied exit poll predictions, both the Congress and the BJP aim to secure a majority seats from Telangana, which could be pivotal for forming the Central government in New Delhi.

Meanwhile, the opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), buoyed by its recent Mahabubnagar bypoll victory, hopes for a significant resurgence after suffering a setback in the 2023 Assembly elections, to potentially play a key role in national politics.