Telangana BJP chief Kishan Reddy, Allu Arjun among early voters

Hyderabad: Union Minister and Telangana BJP chief G Kishan Reddy and 'Pushpa' movie fame Allu Arjun were among the early voters in Telangana as polling for the 17 Lok Sabha seats in the state got underway.

AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi, who is seeking re-election from the Hyderabad Lok Sabha constituency and BJP candidate from the seat K Madhavi Latha also cast their votes.

Polling which began at 7 am will end by 6 pm, barring at a few places where it will conclude two hours earlier.

The Election Commission has also made arrangements to conduct a bypoll for the Secunderabad (Cantonment) Assembly seat to be held simultaneously today.

"Several voters including some senior citizens cast their votes. People, in large numbers, are coming out to vote. I am requesting the people to come and exercise their franchise for democracy and the country's security," Reddy told reporters after casting his vote.

He said the voters should not treat polling day as a holiday.

As many as 625 candidates, including Union Minister and Telangana BJP chief Kishan Reddy, the party national general secretary Bandi Sanjay Kumar and senior leader Etala Rajender are among the BJP's candidates while the Congress has fielded among others, BRS turncoats Danam Nagender and K Kavya.

Asaduddin Owaisi is seeking re-election from the party's bastion- Hyderabad- and is pitted against BJP's Madhavi Latha, a political novice, who ran a spirited campaign.

Former IPS officer RS Praveen Kumar and sitting MP Nama Nageswar Rao, among others, are in the poll fray from former Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao-led BRS.