Hyderabad: Forty-two long days after the April 11 elections, all claims and counterclaims, speculation and expectation will be put to the final test when the EVMs start reeling out the numbers from 8 am on Thursday.
While the TRS had sought a clean sweep of Lok Sabha seats in Telangana state, the Congress expects to win three and the BJP two. One of the prominent features of the elections was nearly 180 farmers contesting from Nizamabad.
In Andhra Pradesh, the political fate of the Telugu Desam and the YSR Congress hinges on the results of the Assembly elections that were held simultaneously with the parliamentary polls.
Counting of votes will begin at 8 am, and officials have made elaborate arrangements for the same. A day ahead of the results, YSR Congress president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy formally shifted his political base to Amaravati by moving to his residence at Tadepalli. AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu was at a Kuppam temple, visiting his constituency for the first time after the election schedule was released, reached Vijayawada in the night. Exit polls have created confusion for both parties.
Also at stake on Wednesday is the political prospects of Jana Sena led by Pawan Kalyan. The elections are expected to run close, and crores of rupees have been bet on the outcome.
Both the TD and the YSRC have claimed that they would win 100-plus seats in the 175-member Assembly. The AP government is also making arrangements for the swearing-in of the new Chief Minister.
Some of the contests that will be keenly watched are:
* TPCC president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, Nalgonda
* TPCC working president A. Revanth Reddy, Malkajgiri
* Ex-minister Renuka Chowdary, Khammam
* Konda Vishweshwar Reddy, Chevella
* G. Kishan Reddy, Secunderabad
* Talasani Sai Kiran Yadav, son of minister T, Srinivas Yadav, Secunderabad
* Marri Rajasekhar Reddy, son-in-law of minister Ch Malla Reddy, Malkajgiri
Andhra Pradesh
* Minister Nara Lokesh, Mangalagiri Assembly
* Jana Sena Chief Pawan Kalyan, Bhimavaram and Gajuwaka Assembly
* Speaker Kodela Siva Prasada Rao, Sattenapalli Assembly
* APCC president N. Raghuveera Reddy, Kalyandurg Assembly
* Former Speaker Nadendla Manohar, Tenali Assembly
* Minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao, Visakhapatnam North Assembly
* Actor Nagababu, Pawan Kalyan’s brother, Narsapur Lok Sabha
* Kishore Chandra Singh Deo vs daughter Shruti in Araku (ST)
* CBI ex-official V.V. Lakshminarayana vs Daggubati Purandeswari vs Sri Bharat (on-in-law of Balakrishna) vs producer M.V.V. Satyanarayana, Vizag Lok Sabha.
