72 per cent turn-out in Telangana; poll largely peaceful

Meanwhile, Union Minister K Chiranjeevi beat a hasty retreat after a youth objected to his jumping the queue tocast his vote in a polling booth. The AP Congress Campaign Committee Chairman, who came with his family, was escorted towards the polling booth sidestepping a long queue of voters.

An agitated youth confronted Chiranjeevi asking him how he has bypassed the queue, saying that people have been waiting for more than 90 minutes for their turn. Chiranjeevi, who then went to the end of the queue, claimed that he had gone directly to the booth to check whether his name was on the list.

Meanwhile, EC said a report was sought from Nalgonda district administration on burnt currency notes that were found in a multi-purpose vehicle, bearing a sticker of Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee's working president N Uttam Kumar Reddy, on the outskirts of Suryapet town in that district.

Also, trends from various districts indicate there may not be a clear winner to form the government in Telangana.

The two main contenders for power—Congress and TRS— may not touch the “magic figure” of 60 in the 119-member House but both are expected to share the honours.

There was said to be a dramatic change in the scene particularly in the last two days before polling because of some tactful behind-the-scenes campaigning by the TRS, which helped it make some gains than what was originally expected.

This was at the cost of Congress and to some extent BJP. The TRS, the trends suggest, is set to reap a good harvest in north Telangana comprising districts like Adilabad, Karimnagar, Warangal and Nizamabad.

However, the Congress may have an upper hand in south Telangana while the Telugu Desam-BJP combine will make gains in Ranga Reddy district and Hyderabad city.