Telangana Assembly polls: Counting today; picture to be clear by 11 am

Hyderabad: In just a few hours it will be known which party is going to rule Telangana state for the next five years. The counting of votes will start at 8 am on Tuesday. There are in all 119 Assembly constituencies. An early indication of the results will emerge by 11 am.

The fate of 1,821 candidates is in the balance and will be clear by around 1 pm.

The Assembly election was held on December 7 for 119 Assembly constituencies. The first result is expected between 12 noon and 1 pm from Bellampally Assembly constituency in Adilabad district which has to count the lowest number of rounds at just 14.

After the high voltage election campaign, tension still runs high among the political parties and their candidates. There was massive polling in almost all Assembly constituencies but different exit polls have confused the picture somewhat.

The main contenders are the incumbent Telangana Rashtra Samiti, which says it is confident of winning 100 seats, and the Congress-led People’s Front which is confident of winning 70 to 80 seats.

For the first time no one is able to read the people’s pulse in these elections. Unlike in the past, voters are tight-lipped about who they have voted for. In about 65 Assembly constituencies the polling percentage was between 80 per cent and 90 per cent. In five constituencies it was more than 90 per cent.