59% polling in Telangana till 3 p.m.

The Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh, where polling is being held simultaneously for 119 Assembly and 17 Lok Sabha seats, witnessed an impressive turnout of about 59 per cent till 3 p.m.

State Chief Electoral Officer Bhanwarlal told reporters that Nizamabad recorded the highest turnout of 57 per cent, while Hyderabad recorded a lowest turnout of 32.5 per cent, out of the 10 districts where the polling is on.

About 1,669 candidates are in the fray for 119 Assembly seats, while 265 are contesting for the 17 parliamentary seats across Telangana.

Meanwhile, police found burnt currency notes in a vehicle on the outskirts of Suryapet town in Nalgonda district.

The multi-purpose vehicle, on its way to Kodad in the district from here, was pasted with the sticker of Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) working president and former minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy, police said.

“We don’t know whether the vehicle belonged to him or his followers or somebody else. Probe is on,” a police official said.

“The vehicle was found abandoned. Our police team found burnt currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 denomination. The exact amount, which was being carried in the vehicle, is still not known. The driver is absconding,” Nalgonda Superintendent of Police T Prabhakar Rao told PTI over phone.

The bag containing the cash was kept on the vehicle’s engine and due to heat, it caught fire resulting in the burning of the notes, the SP said, adding that they had registered a case in this regard and further investigations were on.