The stage is set for polling at the Legislative Assembly on Monday to elect the next President of India.
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Since MLAs constitute the Electoral College for polling, the voter strength in Telangana is 119, with each vote valued at 132. All but three BJP MLAs are expected to vote for combined Opposition candidate Yashwant Singh. The ruling TRS, which has 103 members, Congress and Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen have pledged their support to Mr. Sinha. The Congress has six MLAs and the MIM seven in the Assembly.
YSR Congress MLA from Kandukur in Prakasam district of neighbouring AP is also expected to cast his vote from the Assembly. The Election Commission has accepted his request and is said to have communicated the same to the Legislature Secretariat here.
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The State also has 17 Lok Sabha members and seven Rajya Sabha members as eligible voters. The TRS has nine members in the Lok Sabha, BJP four, Congress three and MIM is represented by its president Asaduddin Owaisi. All the seven RS members from the State are from TRS and their votes are in favour of Mr. Sinha. They will all vote in Parliament.
Meanwhile, senior bureaucrat Krishna Kumar Dwivedi, who was appointed as election observer in the State, visited the Assembly premises and interacted with Legislative secretary V. Narasimha Charyulu, presiding officer and Legislative joint secretary Ch. Upender Reddy.
He also visited the polling station and strong room to ensure that all arrangements were in place and in conformity with the guidelines issued by the election authority.