metro india news  I hyderabad

The counting process for the Medak-Nizamabad-Adilabad-Karimnagar Graduate MLC segment has been marred by a high number of invalid votes, leading to confusion and delays. Counting officials estimate that out of the 2.5 lakh votes polled, nearly 40,000 have been deemed invalid, raising concerns among candidates and election authorities alike.

Minister Sridhar Babu, who reviewed the counting process, was reportedly shocked by the number of invalid votes. Expressing disappointment, he remarked that it was unfortunate that even educated voters were unaware of the proper way to cast their ballots. The issue has also led to tensions at the counting center, with frequent arguments between officials and polling agents over the classification of invalid votes.

Several factors contributed to the high number of invalid votes, including voters marking symbols incorrectly, writing numbers on the ballot, or expressing dissatisfaction with the government by defacing their ballots. Congress candidate Narender Reddy and All India Forward Bloc candidate Ravinder Singh have urged election officials to consider ballots marked with "01" and "02" as valid.

Amid growing concerns from candidates, security has been tightened at the counting center. Officials continue to grapple with the issue, as the verification process is causing significant delays in announcing the final results. The counting of votes for the Telangana MLC elections in three segments has gained momentum, with the process underway for Karimnagar, Adilabad, Nizamabad, Medak Graduate and Teacher constituencies, as well as Nalgonda, Warangal, and Khammam Teacher constituency.  

In the Warangal-Khammam-Nalgonda Teachers' MLC election, PRTU candidate Sripal Reddy secured the highest number of votes in the first preferential vote counting. In Nalgonda, after the elimination of 13 candidates, Sripal Reddy led with 6,165 votes, followed by Alugubelli Narsireddy (4,946), Harshavardhan Reddy (4,596), Poola Ravinder (3,249), and Puli Sarottam Reddy (2,394). Sundar Raju, with 2,141 votes, was eliminated. The total valid votes counted stood at 23,641, with 494 invalid votes. The magic figure required for victory is 11,822 votes. The counting process is ongoing.