Telangana Gears Up For Assembly Elections: New Voters, New Rules

The Election Commission of India has recently unveiled the election schedule for Telangana and four other states, setting the stage for Legislative Assembly elections in Telangana on November 30. This crucial electoral process will see the gazette notification issued on November 3, while vote counting is slated for December 3. Candidates eager to participate in this democratic exercise must submit their nominations by November 10, with the last day for withdrawal of candidate applications falling on November 15. The vital application scrutiny will take place on November 13.

Telangana’s electoral landscape has witnessed substantial changes, with 17.1 lakh additions and 6 lakh deletions to the electoral rolls. Furthermore, there have been 6.24 lakh changes and a stunning 3.35 lakh additions of young voters aged 18 to 19, demonstrating the electorate’s dynamic nature.

Rajiv Kumar, India’s Chief Election Commissioner, has urged Indians to participate actively in the voting process. He emphasized the registration of 60.20 lakh new voters across the states and advocated for transparency by urging candidates with criminal histories to publish their records three times in newspapers, TV, and digital media. Political parties have also been encouraged to provide explanations for their choice of such candidates.

To ensure fair and inducement-free elections, the Election Seizure Management System will be introduced for the five assembly polls. Telangana, with its 3 crore voters distributed across 119 constituencies, comprises 1.58 crore female voters, 1.58 crore male voters, and 2,557 transgender voters, underscoring the diversity of its electorate and the significance of this electoral event in shaping the state’s future.