Southern Indian state votes in final phase of key provincial elections

By Ahmad Adil

NEW DELHI (AA) — The last phase of provincial elections in five Indian states began on Thursday morning, with voting underway in the southern state of Telangana.

Polling in five states — Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Rajasthan, and Telangana — took place in several phases starting Nov. 7.

On Thursday morning, voting began for 119 seats in Telangana.

The Bharat Rashtra Samiti party is presently ruling the state, where 32.6 million people eligible to cast their vote.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday particularly urged "young and first time voters to exercise their franchise."

Exit polls are expected to start coming in on Thursday evening, with the counting of votes to take place on Dec. 3.

In the five states, election authorities said, there are 679 assembly constituencies, which is around "one-sixth of the total" legislative assembly constituencies in the country, and 161 million eligible voters, including 6 million first-time voters.

These polls come received significan attention in the country as they are being held ahead of general elections in 2024.