Election 2024: Telangana Heat Wave Sparks Longer Polling Hours

Amplifying its temporal scope, the Election Commission (EC) opted to lengthen the polling duration for the Lok Sabha elections in Telangana by sixty minutes due to the prevailing heat wave conditions across the state. The revised timetable now spans from 7 o’clock in the morning until 6 o’clock in the evening, diverging from the prior schedule which concluded at 5 o’clock in the evening.

The balloting process for all seventeen Lok Sabha seats within the state is slated for May 13th, aligning with the fourth phase of the expansive seven-phase electoral journey.

This extension of polling hours will encompass every assembly segment of twelve Lok Sabha constituencies, while in the remaining five parliamentary seats, the adjusted schedule will only be pertinent to specific assembly segments, delineated in a communique dispatched by the commission.

The stipulated polling hours of 7 o’clock in the morning until 6 o’clock in the evening will be enforced across various constituencies, namely Karimnagar, Nizamabad, Zahirabad, Medak, Malkajgiri, Secunderabad, Hyderabad, Chevella, Mahabubnagar, Nagarkurnool (SC), Nalgonda, and the Bhongir Lok Sabha seat.

This revised chronology will also be applicable to five assembly segments of the Adilabad Lok Sabha seat, three segments of the Peddapalle seat, six segments of the Warangal (SC) seat, three segments of the Mahabubabad (ST) seat, and five segments of the Khammam Lok Sabha seat, as per the pronouncement made by the Election Commission.

The decision to amend the polling hours stemmed from a plea forwarded by the Telangana chief electoral officer, prompted by appeals from various political entities and contenders participating in the electoral fray, concerning the adverse impact of the prevailing heat wave on voter engagement, elucidated in the official notification.