Polling is underway in the picturesque Nizamabad in Telangana, located 175 kms north-west of Hyderabad. The constituency with beautiful lakes and temples has several hundred villages approximately over 450 which has witnessed large scale farmer discontent.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/live-lok-sabha-polls-2019-voting-underway-in-91-seats-in-first-phase-209404">Live Lok Sabha polls 2019:&nbsp;Faulty EVMs delay voting in several polling booths in Andhra Pradesh</a>

The constituency assumes significance since Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao's daughter&nbsp;Kalvakuntla Kavitha, 41, is seeking another term for the &nbsp;Telangana Rashtra Samithi(TRS) after she won in 2014. She had won from here handsomely five years ago with over &nbsp;170,000 votes beating her nearest Congress rival who won 27,2123 votes.

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uxI6x2JByqA" width="560"></iframe>

However, this time it could be different as large scale farmer' ire has overtaken the constituency with over 170 farmers filing their nomination against TRS alleging it has ignored its demands.

Farmers say the TRS has failed to ensure Minimum Support Price (MSP) for turmeric and red jowar (sorghum) greatly hampering their income. The constituency has 443 candidates in the fray which is proving a major headache for the Election Commission which has instructed its officers to use EVMs after the farmers requested that only paper ballots should be used.

Nizamabad has been a Congress stronghold since 1957 when polls were held here for the first time. TDP beat the Congress for the first time in 1991 riding on the NT Rama Rao wave, significantly TPD candidate Gaddam Ganga Reddy won from here thrice in 1991, 1998 and 1999.

There are seven Vidhan Sabha segments which comprise Lok Sabha constituency of Nizamabad. A predominantly agricultural district it depends on state government's support for its development which over the years has become a contentious issue in the district.

Madhu Goud Yaskhi from Congress won the parliamentary elections in 2004 and 2009 during former PM Manmohan Singh's tenure. The formation of Telangana in 2014 helped to tilt the balance in KCR's favour which resulted in her daughter winning in May, 2014 as the state came into being one month later.

Apart from farmers' opposition, Kavitha will be facing the BJP's Shri D. Aravind and Congress's Madhu Yashki Guud&nbsp;

Currently, 12 EVMs are being used in every booth in Nizamabad. Clearly, first-time MP K Kavitha has her task cut out for her in her father's state.

Reports had indicated that some EVMs had developed snags even as several villagers have decided to stay away from voting protesting against the state government's policies.

Authorities have made tight security arrangements for the Lok Sabha constituency since Nizamabad also contains a Naxal belt where polling will close by 4pm.

Parliamentary elections in 17 constituencies will be conducted in just one phase today with the results due to be announced on May 23rd.&nbsp;

Polling is underway in the picturesque Nizamabad in Telangana, located 175 kms north-west of Hyderabad. The constituency with beautiful lakes and temples has several hundred villages approximately over 450 which has witnessed large scale farmer discontent.

Polling is underway in the picturesque Nizamabad in Telangana, located 175 kms north-west of Hyderabad. The constituency with beautiful lakes and temples has several hundred villages approximately over 450 which has witnessed large scale farmer discontent. Live Lok Sabha polls 2019: Faulty EVMs delay voting in several polling booths in Andhra Pradesh The constituency assumes significance since Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao's daughter Kalvakuntla Kavitha, 41, is seeking another term for the Telangana Rashtra Samithi(TRS) after she won in 2014. She had won from here handsomely five years ago with over 170,000 votes beating her nearest Congress rival who won 27,2123 votes. However, this time it could be different as large scale farmer' ire has overtaken the constituency with over 170 farmers filing their nomination against TRS alleging it has ignored its demands. Farmers say the TRS has failed to ensure Minimum Support Price (MSP) for turmeric and red jowar (sorghum) greatly hampering their income. The constituency has 443 candidates in the fray which is proving a major headache for the Election Commission which has instructed its officers to use EVMs after the farmers requested that only paper ballots should be used. Nizamabad has been a Congress stronghold since 1957 when polls were held here for the first time. TDP beat the Congress for the first time in 1991 riding on the NT Rama Rao wave, significantly TPD candidate Gaddam Ganga Reddy won from here thrice in 1991, 1998 and 1999. There are seven Vidhan Sabha segments which comprise Lok Sabha constituency of Nizamabad. A predominantly agricultural district it depends on state government's support for its development which over the years has become a contentious issue in the district. Madhu Goud Yaskhi from Congress won the parliamentary elections in 2004 and 2009 during former PM Manmohan Singh's tenure. The formation of Telangana in 2014 helped to tilt the balance in KCR's favour which resulted in her daughter winning in May, 2014 as the state came into being one month later. Apart from farmers' opposition, Kavitha will be facing the BJP's Shri D. Aravind and Congress's Madhu Yashki Guud Currently, 12 EVMs are being used in every booth in Nizamabad. Clearly, first-time MP K Kavitha has her task cut out for her in her father's state. Reports had indicated that some EVMs had developed snags even as several villagers have decided to stay away from voting protesting against the state government's policies. Authorities have made tight security arrangements for the Lok Sabha constituency since Nizamabad also contains a Naxal belt where polling will close by 4pm. Parliamentary elections in 17 constituencies will be conducted in just one phase today with the results due to be announced on May 23rd.

Lok Sabha polls 2019: KCR's daughter Kavitha faces farmers' ire as Nizamabad votes in first phase

As polling got underway in Telangana for the 17 Lok Sabha constituencies on Thursday, Nizamabad has become a cynosure of all eyes with a large number of candidates in the fray necessitating the deployment of as many as 12 EVMs in each booth.

"This is the first time in the world where elections are conducted with such a large number of candidates using (such a large number of) EVMs," said Chief Electoral Officer Rajat Kumar.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/live-lok-sabha-polls-2019-voting-underway-in-91-seats-in-first-phase-209404">Live Lok Sabha polls 2019: West Bengal sees 71.01% voter turnout till 3pm; Mizoram at 55.20%</a>

In the field are 185 candidates, including 178 farmers who jumped into the fray to support their demand for the remunerative price for turmeric and red sorghum and setting up of a Turmeric Board based in Nizamabad.

Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) President and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao's daughter K Kavitha is seeking re-election from here. Blaming the BJP, she had said it was the Centre which should take initiative for setting up the Turmeric Board.

While voting began at 7 a.M in other constituencies, it commenced in Nizamabad an hour later as planned due to mock polling in view of a large number of candidates in the fray and as also deployment of EVMs.

The sitting MP Kavitha along with her husband Anil cast her vote in Potangal village in Bodhan Assembly constituency.

The contesting farmers have alleged that the TRS government failed to ensure minimum support price for turmeric and red sorghum produce and in getting Turmeric Board established.

TRS Rajya Sabha member D Srinivas's son D Arvind is contesting as a BJP candidate while AICC Secretary Madhu Yashki Goud is in fray from Congress in Nizamabad. Elaborate arrangements have been made for the polling.

In view of a large number of contestants, 12 ballot units are coupled in series and attached to a control unit in inverted 'L' shape. The Election Commission is using M3 type EVMs which can support up to 24 BUs. Each BU will have 24 names.

In a normal situation, the EC drafts 15 to 16 engineers in a constituency, for troubleshooting, whereas for Nizamabad it has kept as many as 600 engineers, Rajat Kumar had earlier said adding one helicopter would be kept ready in case any large number of machines had to be airlifted.

Over 26,000 ballot Units, 2,200 control units and about 26,000 VVPATs are being used for Nizamabad constituency.&nbsp;

As polling got underway in Telangana for the 17 Lok Sabha constituencies on Thursday, Nizamabad has become a cynosure of all eyes with a large number of candidates in the fray necessitating the deployment of as many as 12 EVMs in each booth.

As polling got underway in Telangana for the 17 Lok Sabha constituencies on Thursday, Nizamabad has become a cynosure of all eyes with a large number of candidates in the fray necessitating the deployment of as many as 12 EVMs in each booth. "This is the first time in the world where elections are conducted with such a large number of candidates using (such a large number of) EVMs," said Chief Electoral Officer Rajat Kumar. Live Lok Sabha polls 2019: West Bengal sees 71.01% voter turnout till 3pm; Mizoram at 55.20% In the field are 185 candidates, including 178 farmers who jumped into the fray to support their demand for the remunerative price for turmeric and red sorghum and setting up of a Turmeric Board based in Nizamabad. Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) President and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao's daughter K Kavitha is seeking re-election from here. Blaming the BJP, she had said it was the Centre which should take initiative for setting up the Turmeric Board. While voting began at 7 a.M in other constituencies, it commenced in Nizamabad an hour later as planned due to mock polling in view of a large number of candidates in the fray and as also deployment of EVMs. The sitting MP Kavitha along with her husband Anil cast her vote in Potangal village in Bodhan Assembly constituency. The contesting farmers have alleged that the TRS government failed to ensure minimum support price for turmeric and red sorghum produce and in getting Turmeric Board established. TRS Rajya Sabha member D Srinivas's son D Arvind is contesting as a BJP candidate while AICC Secretary Madhu Yashki Goud is in fray from Congress in Nizamabad. Elaborate arrangements have been made for the polling. In view of a large number of contestants, 12 ballot units are coupled in series and attached to a control unit in inverted 'L' shape. The Election Commission is using M3 type EVMs which can support up to 24 BUs. Each BU will have 24 names. In a normal situation, the EC drafts 15 to 16 engineers in a constituency, for troubleshooting, whereas for Nizamabad it has kept as many as 600 engineers, Rajat Kumar had earlier said adding one helicopter would be kept ready in case any large number of machines had to be airlifted. Over 26,000 ballot Units, 2,200 control units and about 26,000 VVPATs are being used for Nizamabad constituency.

With long list of 185 candidates, Nizamabad in Telangana is cynosure of all eyes

India Election Watch: 185 candidates in fray in Nizamabad

Madhu Goud Yaskhi&nbsp;is two-time Congress MP from Nizamabad who returned to India in 2004 to successfully contest elections in 2004. Nizamabad is part of the state of Telangana. Yaski looks after Congress Overseas Cell and is Secretary in charge of Karnataka. In an interview with WION, Yaski says that earlier when PM’s went abroad, they went as Indians, but Narendra Modi makes his foreign trips all about his own party. Edited excerpts&nbsp;

 
Q: Of late Congress has shown a lot of interest in reorganising its overseas Indian cell?

A: We could see the potential of overseas Indians. They have a lot to contribute. There exists a diaspora impact in India especially in states like Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Kerala and Gujarat. &nbsp;There is another issue. When MPs would visit foreign countries, we were specifically told by MEA that you represent your country and not the party. It has been changed by Modi. Whenever he meets the Indian diaspora, he toes the party line. Diaspora has been politicised. Diaspora also helped BJP win 2014 elections. Our estimate is that 500 diaspora IT professionals came to Ahmedabad to help BJP in Lok Sabha elections.

&nbsp;

Q: BJP has the first mover advantage. They are well organised and have functioning units abroad? PM’s interaction with NRIs is also far more frequent than Congress President.

A: BJP took advantage of anti-Islamic sentiments which is prevalent globally. They convinced the diaspora that Congress empowerment of minorities was an appeasement which wasn’t the case. I would say that nothing much has been done for the NRIs in this present dispensation. Many NRIs lost money because of DeMo as they could not travel back under the specified time. Even today there is no visa online. Please don’t go on the scale. Rahul Gandhi's tour to the United States was very well received.

&nbsp;

Q: What are the prospects of Congress Party in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh?

A: We are fighting fit in Telangana. We will defeat TRS in the next assembly elections. In Andhra Pradesh, our vote share has gone up from 3 per cent to 12 per cent. There is some resentment over the fact that special status was not accorded to the state. &nbsp;So, we will still play an important role in AP. In Telangana, people don’t hate us. We will come back to power in the state.

&nbsp; 
Q: Is there a possibility of an alliance with TRS in Telangana?

A: Absolutely not. We may have a tie-up with smaller parties. TRS is the B Team of BJP. They have supported BJP on every issue. They have supported BJP on issues which were not openly supported by their own alliance partners. BJP meanwhile felt that they will make in-roads in Telangana which has not happened. Telangana is a badly governed state and we will on our own strength defeat TRS.

&nbsp;Q: Andhra Pradesh is still a problem area for the Congress. People still blame you for the division of the state. What do you have to say?

A: We came back to power in Punjab after Operation BlueStar. It will take some time in AP, but we will come back. BJP and TDP also participated in the creation of Telangana. Yes, people were angry with us, but they aren’t now as they realise that both BJP and TDP participated in the process of creation of Telangana. We will not align with anyone. We will also not align with Jagan Mohan Reddy. He is arrogant and supports BJP.

BJP took advantage of anti-Islamic sentiments which is prevalent globally. They convinced the diaspora that Congress empowerment of minorities was an appeasement which wasn’t the case.

Madhu Goud Yaskhi is two-time Congress MP from Nizamabad who returned to India in 2004 to successfully contest elections in 2004. Nizamabad is part of the state of Telangana. Yaski looks after Congress Overseas Cell and is Secretary in charge of Karnataka. In an interview with WION, Yaski says that earlier when PM’s went abroad, they went as Indians, but Narendra Modi makes his foreign trips all about his own party. Edited excerpts Q: Of late Congress has shown a lot of interest in reorganising its overseas Indian cell? A: We could see the potential of overseas Indians. They have a lot to contribute. There exists a diaspora impact in India especially in states like Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Kerala and Gujarat. There is another issue. When MPs would visit foreign countries, we were specifically told by MEA that you represent your country and not the party. It has been changed by Modi. Whenever he meets the Indian diaspora, he toes the party line. Diaspora has been politicised. Diaspora also helped BJP win 2014 elections. Our estimate is that 500 diaspora IT professionals came to Ahmedabad to help BJP in Lok Sabha elections. Q: BJP has the first mover advantage. They are well organised and have functioning units abroad? PM’s interaction with NRIs is also far more frequent than Congress President. A: BJP took advantage of anti-Islamic sentiments which is prevalent globally. They convinced the diaspora that Congress empowerment of minorities was an appeasement which wasn’t the case. I would say that nothing much has been done for the NRIs in this present dispensation. Many NRIs lost money because of DeMo as they could not travel back under the specified time. Even today there is no visa online. Please don’t go on the scale. Rahul Gandhi's tour to the United States was very well received. Q: What are the prospects of Congress Party in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh? A: We are fighting fit in Telangana. We will defeat TRS in the next assembly elections. In Andhra Pradesh, our vote share has gone up from 3 per cent to 12 per cent. There is some resentment over the fact that special status was not accorded to the state. So, we will still play an important role in AP. In Telangana, people don’t hate us. We will come back to power in the state. Q: Is there a possibility of an alliance with TRS in Telangana? A: Absolutely not. We may have a tie-up with smaller parties. TRS is the B Team of BJP. They have supported BJP on every issue. They have supported BJP on issues which were not openly supported by their own alliance partners. BJP meanwhile felt that they will make in-roads in Telangana which has not happened. Telangana is a badly governed state and we will on our own strength defeat TRS. Q: Andhra Pradesh is still a problem area for the Congress. People still blame you for the division of the state. What do you have to say? A: We came back to power in Punjab after Operation BlueStar. It will take some time in AP, but we will come back. BJP and TDP also participated in the creation of Telangana. Yes, people were angry with us, but they aren’t now as they realise that both BJP and TDP participated in the process of creation of Telangana. We will not align with anyone. We will also not align with Jagan Mohan Reddy. He is arrogant and supports BJP.

TRS is the B Team of BJP, no question of alliance: Congress leader Madhu Goud Yaskhi

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