Intense campaigning for the Lok Sabha polls in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh came to a close at 6 PM on Saturday. In Telangana, preparations are underway for a bypoll for the Secunderabad (Cantonment) Assembly seat, scheduled for May 13. State Chief Electoral Officer Vikas Raj announced the cessation of all election-related activities, with significant seizures of cash, freebies, and other items amounting to approximately Rs 320 crore.
Stringent security measures have been implemented, with over 73,000 civil police, 500 sections of state special police, and 164 companies of central armed police forces deployed. Additionally, GPS systems have been installed in all vehicles transporting Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines, accompanied by armed security provided by Central forces. Over 3.31 crore voters are expected to cast their votes across 35,356 polling stations in Telangana.
Meanwhile, in Andhra Pradesh, a total of 503 candidates are contesting for Lok Sabha seats and 2,705 for Assembly positions. The state has 4.41 crore voters, including 2.02 crore males, 2.1 crore females, and 3,421 third-gender voters, along with 68,185 service electors. Key contenders include YSRCP leader and Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu, and Janasena leader Pawan Kalyan in the Assembly polls, while YS Sharmila of the Andhra Pradesh Congress and BJP state chief Purandeswari are among those vying for Lok Sabha seats. Vote counting is scheduled for June 4 nationwide.
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