Telangana: Security Stepped Up for Graduate, Teacher MLC Polls in 4 Districts

Adilabad: Police stepped up security at the polling stations for the Graduate and Teacher MLC elections scheduled for tomorrow in the Nirmal, Adilabad, Asifabad, and Mancherial districts to prevent any untoward incidents. Meanwhile, district officials inspected distribution centres where GPS-tagged, closed-body vehicles are being used to transport ballot boxes, with the jumbo ballot boxes in use due to the high number of candidates contesting in these elections.

In Adilabad, SP Gaush Alam said that 400 police personnel have been deployed across 39 polling centres along eight routes, leaving no stone unturned to ensure security. Alam inspected the distribution centres on Wednesday, noting that mobile route parties and a special striking force under the supervision of two DSPs have been deployed, with 163 provisions of the BNSS Act imposed at the polling stations. The district has 46 polling booths across 30 centres, expecting 14,935 graduate voters and 1,593 teacher voters to cast their ballots on February 27.

Collector Rajarshi Shah confirmed that polling will be held from 8 am to 4 pm, with ballot boxes and other election materials dispatched in GPS-tagged vehicles to the designated centres. Once polling concludes, the election staff will transport the ballot boxes directly to Ambedkar Stadium in Karimnagar for secure storage. Shah emphasised that the election staff are required to follow Election Commission guidelines, with DLPO and RDO monitoring the material distribution, and noted that the staff have undergone two rounds of training.

In Komarambheem Asifabad district, collector Venkatesh Dhotre reported that polling arrangements have been made at 17 centres across the Asifabad and Kagaznagar divisions, with 6,137 graduate voters and 470 teacher votes expected. A team of 19 presiding officials, 87 other staff members, and 17 micro observers has been deployed to ensure smooth operations. In Nirmal, collector Abhilasha Abhinav inspected the distribution of election materials, including ballot boxes at NTR Stadium, and issued detailed instructions to the election staff regarding the polling process and the Election Commission guidelines. Similarly, in Mancherial, collector Deepak Kumar oversaw the distribution centre operations before staff proceeded to their respective polling stations.