Today in Politics: And, it is going to be a wrap, with Telangana; countdown now to exit polls

However, over the course of the campaign, even as Revanth morphed into a big stage leader, addressing four public meetings a day in a hectic campaign, KCR upped his game by vigorously campaigning himself in a battle to return to power for a third time. Through the elections, the X-factor remained the uneven campaign of the BJP, which was seen to have lost steam post the Karnataka results, only to put in its all in the last stages of the race. Could it be that the party mellowed down in anticipation of needing BRS support come 2024, only to circle back on realisation that the impression that it was close to KCR was helping the Congress? Liz Mathew posed this question in a series of analyses on the BJP campaign, even as Sreenivas Janyala, Rahul V Pisharody and Vidhatri Rao pitched in with a series of ground reports from the key seats and on the key issues.

By the end of Thursday, the picture might be a bit clearer with exit polls coming out after Telangana polling time ends. The jury, of course, remains out on how accurate these polls are, as Anjishnu Das will try to capture for you. In his Data Pack column, he will also explore whether voter turnout is any barometer an incumbency or anti-incumbency vote.

Also read | Follow live updates from Telangana elections here

Meanwhile…

As the BJP ups temple fever for the grand Ayodhya unveiling, and the Opposition tries to belatedly join the bandwagon, the case regarding the Kashi Vishwanath-Gyanvapi complex in Varanasi drags on. On Wednesday, the Varanasi district court asked the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to explain why it wanted more time to submit a scientific survey report of the Gyanvapi complex, and will now hear the matter for Thursday.

The Muslim side, represented by lawyer Mohammad Ikhlaq, has objected to the ASI repeatedly seeking more time.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will arrive in Hazaribagh on Thursday evening to attend the 59th Raising Day programme of the BSF, to be held at the force’s oldest training centre in the city, in a first. Shah will also interact with BSF officials during his visit.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will again have an action-packed day, including distribution of more than 51,000 appointment letters to newly inducted recruits in government departments and organisations as part of Rozgar Mela, and interaction with beneficiaries of the ‘Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra’ via video conferencing. The Yatra is being undertaken across the country, with an aim to attain saturation of flagship schemes of the government.

The PM will also attend the United Nations COP28 climate talks, which begin in Dubai on Thursday.

(with PTI inputs)