Lok Sabha voter turnout: 68.12% in AP, 61.21% in Telangana

Voting for the Lok Sabha began in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh under phase 4 of the 2024 general election on Monday, May 13. Andhra Pradesh is also set to vote for its 175-member Assembly simultaneously. 

Around 3.17 crore voters in Telangana and over 4.14 crore voters in Andhra Pradesh are eligible to cast their votes.

A total of 525 candidates are in the fray for the Telangana Lok Sabha election, and the state is witnessing a three-way battle among the ruling Congress party, the opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In addition to the Lok Sabha elections, polling is also being held for the bye-election in Secunderabad Cantonment constituency in Hyderabad.

In Andhra Pradesh, it is a fierce contest between the ruling YSR Congress Party and the tripartite alliance - BJP, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Jana Sena Party.

A total of 2,387 candidates are in the fray for 175 Assembly seats while for 25 Lok Sabha seats, 454 contestants are contesting.  

Along with Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, voting will be held in 96 Lok Sabha constituencies in 10 states and a Union Territory - Jammu and Kashmir. 

Uttar Pradesh (13 seats), Bihar (5), West Bengal (8), Maharashtra (11), Madhya Pradesh (8), and Jammu and Kashmir (1), while the electoral process now kicks off in Andhra Pradesh (all 25 seats), Telangana (all 17), Odisha (4), and Jharkhand (4).

Andhra Pradesh BJP chief Daggubati Purandeshwari cast her vote in Rajahmundry.

BJP MP candidate for Hyderabad Parliamentary constituency, K Madhavi Latha casts her vote.

Andhra Pradesh CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and his wife Bharathi Reddy cast their votes at Pulivendula in Kadapa. After voting, he said, "Vote for the government, which will lead to brighter future".

Former Andhra Pradesh CM and TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu, and his wife Nara Bhuvaneswari cast their votes at Guntur in Andhra Pradesh. After exercising their franchise, Naidu asserted that TDP will come to power and appealed to everyone to exercise their right to vote. "People have come from abroad at their own expense to cast their vote. I thank everyone," he said.

Bhuvaneswari appealed to women saying, "I want the women to come out and vote because women have faced a lot of atrocities with this present government. I want them to come and vote for TDP, for their government - the people's government - because TDP is always for the people. It doesn't suppress anyone from voicing their opinion. TDP works for the people's government."

TDP complains to Election Commission of India that YSRCP MLA candidate Bhumana Abhinay Reddy has put up posters seeking votes for himself and MP candidate Maddila Gurumoorthy at polling booths across Tirupati.

TDP national secretary Nara Lokesh and wife Brahmani cast their votes at Undavalli in Mangalagiri constituency in Andhra Pradesh.

BJP's Malkajgiri MP candidate Eatala Rajender cast his vote along with his wife Jamuna and other family members. He urged everyone to exercise their vote, and vote for national security and nation's growth, and vote for Modi. He also alleged that in Malkajgiri lots of money were distributed illegally.

Malkajgiri was previously held by present CM Revanth Reddy. Eatala Rajender is a former BRS minister now contesting from BJP. He is contesting against P Sunita Mahender Reddy, who shifted from BRS to Congress, and R Laxma Reddy, who switched from Congress to BRS.

Actor and former Union Minister Chiranjeevi cast his vote in Hyderabad, along with his wife Surekha and daughter Sushmita. Chiranjeevi has voiced support for his younger brother Pawan Kalyan, whose Jana Sena Party is contesting the Andhra Pradesh elections in an alliance with TDP and BJP.

AIMIM leader and candidate from Hyderabad Asaduddin Owaisi cast his vote in Hyderabad. He said that this was a historic parliamentary election in our country. "Elections should always be taken seriously whether it is a Parliament election or a Panchayat election. We should always take our opponent seriously," he said and added that he would like to tell PM Modi that people do not agree with BJPs ideology and people do not agree with the statements that PM Modi has given for on minority community.

Tollywood stars Allu Arjun and Jr NTR cast their vote in Jubilee Hills.

While Allu Arjun has expressed support for his uncle Pawan Kalyan's Jana Sena Party in Andhra Pradesh, he also campaigned for his friend, YSRCP MLA Shilpa Ravi Chandra Kishore Reddy in Nandyal. He was booked over this for violating the poll code.

Jr NTR is the nephew of TDP chief and former CM Chandrababu Naidu. While he has campaigned for the party in the past, this time, he has stayed away from election related activities.

Andhra Pradesh recorded 9.05% turnout, while Telangana saw 9.51% turnout in the Lok Sabha polling. Andhra Pradesh Assembly saw a voter turnout of 9.21%.

In Telangana, Adilabad saw the highest turnout (13.22%), and Hyderabad (5.06%) the lowest. In Andhra Pradesh, the Kadapa parliamentary constituency saw the highest turnout of 12.09%, and Guntur the lowest - 6.17%.

Janasena Party chief Pawan Kalyan cast his vote in Mangalagiri. The actor turned politician is contesting from Pithapuram constituency in Kakinada district and hopes to mark his debut entry into the assembly

As of 11 am, overall voter turnout in Telangana as is 24.31%. Zahirabad parliamentary constituency saw the highest voter turnout of 31.83%. Hyderabad constituency has the lowest turnout of 10.70%.

In Andhra Pradesh, the turnout is 23%. The Parvathipuram Manyam district, which has a high tribal population, saw the lowest turnout of 15.40%. The highest turnout was in Nandyal (27.19%).

Telangana CM Revanth Reddy and family exercise their franchise in Kodangal of Mahabubnagar Lok Sabha constituency in Telangana.

In a startling video from Andhra Pradesh, YSRCP MLA from Tenali Annabathuni Siva Kumar slapped a voter at a polling booth, reportedly following an argument over standing in the queue. The voter slapped the MLA back, after which the MLA’s followers beat him up.

DEO Ronald Ross instructs for registering FIR against BJP candidate Madhavi Latha, over personally checking face of burkha clad woman under Hyderabad constituency

Former Telangana Chief Minister and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) president K Chandrashekhar Rao cast his vote in his native village of Chintamadaka village in Siddipet district.

An FIR has been registered against YSRCP Tenali MLA A Siva Kumar for physically assaulting a man who purportedly questioned him for not following the queue at a polling station. The MLA was booked under Sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 341 (wrongful restraint) of the IPC. Siva Kumar was seen on video slapping a voter named G Sudhakar, who immediately slapped the MLA back. The MLA and his supporters were then seen going after Sudhakar and beating him up.