Director Koratala Siva, who is politically conscious and socially active, has vented out his angst against the poor turn out of voting in the urban region of Hyderabad.

Koratala Siva found fault with the urban voters for not turning up in large numbers and participate in the voting. This is after Hyderabad registered a minimal 35 percent polling till 3 PM.

Koratala Siva took to Twitter and wrote, “What’s happening to Hyderabad. 35 percent polling till 3 o clock. Shame on the urban voter. Telangana Assembly Elections”

The director of Bharat Ane Nenu, Koratala never minces his words when it is about politics or governance. His comment on the less voting turn out is getting all the attention.

The constituencies like Jubilee Hills, Kukatpally, Serilingampally, Qutubullapur in and around Hyderabad region have huge numbers of Andhra based voters. Are they likely to spin a shock to the ruling party? Trends say so.

Actually, in Jubilee Hills, we have former MLA Maganti Gopinath, a staunch TDP supporter, migrated to TRS and contested on pink banner now. And then we have Prajakutami offering the seat to late PJR’s son Vishnu from Congress party. Reports are coming that, no matter who is standing in the race, Andhra voters have made their mind.

With constant hit backs and attacks on settlers, they have decided to back Congress-led Prajakutami. Because either they should go with TRS, which they cannot do because that is purely against their own Andhra sentiment, and the only option they have is Prajakutami. Whether it is Congress or TDP or TJS candidate that is standing there, Andhra voters are said to be pressing the button in those candidates’ favour.

Anyway, with just 49% polling done, it is too early to predict poll results. So hang on for few ore hours.

An interesting and candid conversation has taken place between KT Ramarao and Harish Rao. KTR who caught up with Harish on the sidelines, congratulated Harish Rao by shaking hands and embracing him. KTR hugged Harish Rao and said, “Bava, Niku 1 Lakh majority.”

Delighted with KTR’s congratulations, Harish thanked KTR and asked back how much his majority would be. And KTR’s reply is epic. KTR replied, “Nakuda 60,000 majority vastadi anukunta…nee dantla sagam…siddipet la sagam ina techukovali kada.”

The conversation of KTR and Harish was captured by the TV cameras. And this video of their conversation is now going viral online.

In what can be a big surprise, the voting turn out in Kukatpally assembly constituency is relatively less in the early hours. As per the poll trends, only 28.5 percent voting was registered. This comes as a shock to several political analysts and poll pundits.

Given that top netas like Chandrababu Naidu have aggressively campaigned in Kukatpally constituency and there is a stiff fight between TDP’s Nandamuri Suhasini and , many had expected that the voter turn out would be high. Besides Kukatpally, even the voting turn out in Hyderabad up to 2 PM is less.

Even the voting percentage in Serlingampally is said to be less. However, leaders of political parties exude confidence that the voting turnout would increase by the evening.

Post voting, caretaker chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has spoke to the media and said he along with his party is going to win the election with huge majority.

BJP and Congress parties have found fault in KCR’s statements and added that he had violated the model code of conduct. Accordingly both the parties have complained against KCR to the Election Commission (EC).

The EC commissioner Rajath Kumar is yet to react on this issue. As per the election code within the premises of the polling both leaders are not allowed to make any statement. However, KCR was surrounded by media and asked his views on the spot. He reacted in similar manner.

Hyderabad: Telangana Chief Minister and TRS President K. Chandrashekhar Rao on Friday exuded confidence that his party will retain power in the state after the Assembly polls with a huge majority.

The Chief Minister and his wife Shobha Rao cast their votes in Chintamadaka village, which is part of Siddipet constituency, where his nephew and cabinet minister T. Harish Rao is seeking re-election.

The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) leader, who is contesting from Gajwel constituency in the same district, told the media: “People are pro-incumbency. You will come know by the evening when exit polls will be out,” said the TRS chief.

He also noted that the state was recording heavy polling.

“Hyderabad is also voting heavily. Even old age people are occupying huge lines.”

Over 23 per cent polling has recorded by in the ongoing Telangana Assembly elections.

Several MPs belonging to ruling Telugu Desam Party in Andhra Pradesh turned out to be big disappointment in spending of local area development funds sanctioned by the Centre in the last four and a half years, according to a latest report from the Centre.

Under the Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS), the Centre gives Rs 5 crore to each MP per year. They can spend the money for their local area development at their discretion.

District collectors Concerned are responsible for executing the works suggested by the MPs under this scheme.

So, for the five years, all the 25 MPs are entitled to spend Rs 625 crore under this scheme. So far, the government of India released only Rs 417.5 crore in 167 instalments, but the MPs did not submit proposals for utilisation of around Rs 180 crore.

Most of these MPs are from the TDP, particularly those from Krishna, East Godavari, Anantapur and West Godavari, while those from Vizianagaram, Nellore, Kadapa, Visakhapatnam, and Srikakulam are slightly better.

Former Union minister P Ashok Gajapati Raju of Vizianagaram is the only leader who spent the maximum amount of MPLADS when compared with the others in the state.

Gajapati Raju spent more than Rs 22.5 crore out of the total entitled amount of Rs 25 crore.

Two other MPs Konakalla Narayana of Machilipatnam and Kesineni Srinivas of Vijayawada have spent just 50 per cent of the amount allocated to them. They spent just Rs 25 crore out of the total Rs 50 crore of their MPLADS funds.

Thota Narasimham of Kakinada, Maganti Murali Mohan of Rajamahendravaram and Pandula Ravindra Babu of Amalapuram (SC) Lok Sabha constituencies of East Godavari could spend only Rs 50 crore out of targeted Rs 75 crore.

Anantapur MP J C Diwakar Reddy and Hindupur MP Nimmala Kishtappa utilised only Rs 25 crore and proposals submitted for another Rs 5 crore. Still both these leaders have to submit proposals for remaining Rs 20 crore.

During the recent Collectors’ Conference held at Undavalli in Guntur, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu expressed displeasure over the Lok Sabha members not utilising their funds effectively.

The war of words between YSR Congress party and Jana Sena Party is intensifying with every passing day and leaders of both the sides are hurling abuses at each other, providing much needed fodder to the media.

On Friday, YSRC leaders shot back at Jana Sena Party president Pawan Kalyan for speaking in a threatening tone.

“He is speaking a little too much against Jagan. He should mind his tongue, otherwise we will expose his shady dealings with Telugu Desam Party,” YSRC spokesman T J Sudhakar Babu said.

Comparing Pawan with senior actor and TDP legislator Nandamuri Balakrishna, the YSRC leader said the Jana Sena chief was nothing but “Balakrishna No. 2” in words and actions.

“You are attacking Jagan personally, but alleging that the latter was raising your personal issues. First of all, there is no private life once a person comes into politics. Is it not correct that you were married thrice and had begotten children through another woman while continuing marital life with first wife? So, stop cheap talk immediately,” he said.

Stating that it was Jagan not Pawan who had got the fighting spirit of revolutionary Che Guevera, Sudhakar Babu said the Jana Sena leader, who took the names of Communist leaders like Puchalapalli Sundarayya and Tarimela Nagi Reddy, had done little to continue their ideals.

“Jagan never runs away from the battle field and is a fighter. He is waging a relentless battle against the Chandrababu Naidu governmet braving all odds,” he said.

The YSRC leader questioned Pawan’s political philosophy.

“You have sailed with the TDP for more than four years and taken a big package from it. Now, you are hoodwinking people by giving a big build up that you are fighting against the Naidu government. You are answerable to all the misdeeds and irregularities of Chandrababu Naidu,” he said.

It is a known fact that the vernacular media in Telangana has been more or less favourable to the Telangana Rashtra Samithi.

There were a few media houses which were adopting anti-TRS stand initially, but party president and chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has virtually crushed these media houses with his thumb and brought them under his control.

Not only that, he started gradually buying some popular channels, albeit indirectly, through big business houses close to him.

Naturally, scribes belonging to these media houses have virtually become TRS activists and they are not hesitating to launch an attack on those who question KCR and his family.

So, on the polling day, these scribes have been dominating all the social media, saying that the TRS is going to get a massive victory, as people from all sections have been telling after casting their votes that they had voted for the TRS. They say that the people are impressed by KCR’s schemes and personality.

Three days ago, former Vijayawada MP Lagadapati Rajagopal predicted that if there is a higher percentage of voting, the TRS would be losing the elections.

And on Friday, when there are indications that the polling percentage is going up sharply, these pro-TRS scribes immediately launched a counter argument saying that KCR is going to prove Lagadapati wrong.

“The increase in polling percentage will only increase the tally of the TRS and there is no surprise if the party gets more than 90 seats in the elections,” they said.

Well, why hurry? Let us watch out till December 11!

Why didn’t Junior N T Rama Rao campaign for his sister Nandamuri Suhasini, who is contesting as the Telugu Desam Party candidate in Kukatpally assembly constituency?Though there was a last minute hope that Junior NTR would dedicate some time for Suhasini at least on the last day of campaign on Wednesday, he did not turn up.

The granddaughter of legendary actor and former chief minister N T Rama Rao had to depend on other family members, including uncles Nandamuri Balakrishna and TDP president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, besides other TDP leaders.

The TDP leaders leaked to the curious media that Jr NTR was not in a position to come in the open for campaigning for Suhasini, because he wanted to maintain secrecy about his new look in his forthcoming film being directed by S S Rajamouli.

Apparently, Jr NTR has been putting on a lot of weight for a particular role he is playing in the film and he has already crossed 100 kgs.“Since his appearance in the film will get exposed and become a big news in the media even before the first look is released, Junior NTR did not want to come out in the open for campaigning,” these sources said.

But on Friday, all these speculations turned out to be fake. Junior NTR, along with his wife Pranathi, came out openly to cast his vote in Jubilee Hills and appeared ever fit and strong.He even gave a call to the people to cast their vote and uphold democracy. About his not campainigning in the elections, he only said he strongly wished his sister will win the elections.