Karimnagar, March 2: Suspense is running high in the erstwhile Karimnagar district ahead of the vote counting for the MLC elections, scheduled for Monday, March 3. The atmosphere is reminiscent of the tension typically seen during Assembly and Parliamentary elections.In the Graduate MLC contest, it appears that Narendra Reddy (Congress), Anji Reddy (BJP), Harikrishna (BSP), and independent candidate Shekhar Rao — who also serves as the president of the Telangana Residential Schools Management Association — are leading in terms of vote share.As booth-wise data and preliminary survey reports trickle in, candidates vying for the Graduate MLC seat from Karimnagar, Nizamabad, Adilabad, and Medak constituency have been meticulously scrutinising the numbers. Their teams are engaged in intense discussions, comparing the booths where votes seem to be in their favour with those where first preference votes appear less promising. This has led to heightened tensions as everyone attempts to gauge their chances of winning.Out of 3,55,159 total registered votes for the MLC Graduates constituency, 2,50,328 votes were cast in the polling held on Thursday, March 27. However, there are concerns that many voters may not have been fully aware of how to correctly mark their ballots, potentially leading to a significant number of invalid votes. Only valid votes will be counted at first, which will be crucial in determining the initial frontrunners.With a margin of more than 50 per cent of valid votes required to secure victory on first preferences, it seems unlikely any single candidate will win outright in the initial count. Consequently, the focus is shifting toward second preference votes, which might ultimately decide the outcome once votes are redistributed after lower-ranked candidates are eliminated.Speculation is also rife about alleged money distribution by the two major national parties. Observers say such practices could influence the final tally, sparking debates about potential impacts on each party’s performance.Adding another layer of complexity is the unusually high voter turnout, which has become a topic of discussion across the district. Political observers are divided on whether this surge favours any particular party or candidate.The contest among the Congress, BJP, and BSP for the Graduate MLC seat remains neck and neck, with each party expressing confidence in securing victory. Attention has primarily focused on the Graduate MLC seats, regarded as more fiercely competitive than the Teacher MLC race.All eyes will be on Monday, March 3, when vote counting commences and the final results will reveal which candidates will emerge victorious from this closely watched electoral battle.
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