Telangana Lok Sabha polls 2024: 525 candidates in fray, 286 Independents

Hyderabad: As many as 525 candidates are contesting for the 17 seats in the Telangana Lok Sabha Elections 2024 according to the list released by the Election Commission of India on Monday.

Here’s a breakdown of the candidates’ list for the Telangana Lok Sabha elections.

- There are 50 female candidates in total.

- There are 475 male candidates in the fray.

- The total number of candidates is 525 candidates.

- All major parties such as the BJP, BRS and Congress have put up candidates in all 17 seats except for BSP which has put up 15 candidates in total.

- A total of 286 independents are in the fray. Medak has the highest number of independent candidates at 29; Peddapalle has 26 Independents, Nizamabad has 16, Zhairabad has 10, Karimnagar has 15, Chevella has 21, Mahabubnagar has 20, Malkajgiri has 11, Bhongir has 18, Secunderabad has 27, Hyderabad has 7, Warangal has 27 and Khammam has 24 independent candidates.

Election symbols

According to the Election Commission, the maximum number of candidates an EVM can cater to is 16 candidates per unit. In total, EVMs can cater to a maximum of 64 candidates including NOTA. If the total number of candidates exceeds 16, a second ‘Balloting Unit’ can be linked parallel to the first Balloting Unit.

Similarly, if the total number of candidates exceeds 32, a third Balloting Unit can be attached and if the total number of candidates exceeds 48, a fourth Balloting Unit can be attached to cater to a maximum of 64 candidates.

With 286 independents contesting in total, there are chances that the election commission has to make provisions for extra EVMs at certain polling booths.

“The presence of more EVMs when voting may not be an issue for the voter as this occurred in previous elections too such as Nizamabad where a large number of Independents contested,” said Kiran Vissa, one of the members of the Bharat Jodo Abhiyan. “It will be the independents who will face a tough time to be recognised by the voters among the mainstream candidates,” he added.

Sequence of parties on EVM

What has to be considered is also the order of the parties on the EVM, said Kiran. While debunking a myth about the sequence of candidates on polling units, the EC said: “The names of the candidates are set on the Ballot Unit (EVM) in alphabetic order in three groups - Recognized Parties, Unrecognized Registered Parties, and Independents. This is decided only after the finalisation of candidates.”

“This arrangement of sequencing acts as an extra check to effectively preclude the possibility of any predetermined manipulation of software for rigging the votes,” it added, in a post on its official Facebook page.