Last night, the State Election Commission of Telangana issued a circular saying that ballots with a distinguished marker can be counted along with the regular Swastika symbol ones. The BJP moved the Telangana High Court against the circular, alleging that it's against rules.

Hearing the petition overnight, the HC on Friday morning issued an order saying that only ballots with the Swastika can be considered valid. Effectively, the State Election Commission's order has been struck down.

The BJP has alleged that there was booth capturing by TRS workers in the last two hours of polling on December 1. Several BJP representatives have told TV channels that rigging was widespread and that's only about 10% voter turnout was registered in the last hour of polling. "Haven't we seen videos of each worker casting 10-15 votes circulating on social media?" a BJP person was heard saying on a TV channel.

The saffron party, which has taken a massive lead in the postal ballot counting phase, is happy with the HC's order.