Polling for the Presidential election held in the Telangana State Legislative Assembly passed off peacefully, with 117 out of the 119 elected members of Telangana and one member from neighbouring Andhra Pradesh casting their vote in the polling booth set up at the Committee Hall.
There was some confusion over the validity of vote cast by Congress MLA from Mulugu D. Anasuya alias Seethakka. However, she clarified that she had voted properly as per her conscience. The ruling YSR Congress Party MLA from Kandukuru in AP M. Maheedhar Reddy also cast his vote here as he has been staying here on health grounds.
The voting process commenced with Minister for Industries, IT and Urban Development K.T. Rama Rao casting his vote first followed by other Ministers, MLAs of TRS, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party. Minister for Civil Supplies Gangula Kamalakar and Vemulawada legislator Chennamaneni Ramesh did not cast their vote as the former tested COVID-19 positive a couple of days back and the latter is away from the country.
KCR casts vote
Meanwhile, Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao who went to Hanmakonda on Saturday to visit the flood affected areas on Sunday returned to the city on Monday afternoon. He drove straight from Hanamkonda to the Assembly buildings and cast his vote around 1.45 p.m. Assembly Speaker Pocharam Srinivas Reddy also cast his vote along with the Chief Minister as also few other Ministers and MLAs.
In the morning, TRS MLAs first gathered at the party office, Telangana Bhavan, where they were explained about the process of casting vote using the pink-coloured ballot paper. They also participated in the mock polling before proceeding to the Assembly. A section of the TRS MLAs went to the Assembly in a special bus, while others went by their own vehicles.
The ruling TRS has a strength of 103 MLAs in the Assembly followed by AIMIM 7, Congress 6 and BJP 3. The TRS, AIMIM and Congress are supporting Yashwant Sinha, the Opposition candidate for the Presidential election.
In Delhi, 24 MPs of Telangana cast their vote in polling booths set up on the premises of Parliament. The ruling TRS has 9 members in Lok Sabha and 7 in Rajya Sabha followed by BJP 4, Congress 3 and AIMIM 1, all members of Lok Sabha.
