Hyderabad: The filing of nominations for the municipal elections came to an end on Friday, with 28,456 candidates submitting papers for elections to seven municipal corporations and 116 municipalities in Telangana.
Election officials said that while 9,276 nominations were received during the first two days of the process, the final day witnessed a sharp spike, with 19,180 nominations filed on Friday alone.
Last day rush dominates
Candidates representing major political parties such as the Congress, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and BJP were among those who filed nominations. Apart from them, contestants from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Telangana Rajyadhikara Party and BSP also entered the fray in large numbers. With the nomination phase over, campaigning is expected to pick up pace from Saturday.
Political families, couples enter contest
The nomination process saw participation from several political families. In a number of municipalities, married couples chose to contest from separate wards, making the contests in some local bodies more closely watched.
In the Mahabubabad municipality, Tejaswini, daughter of former BRS MLA Shankar Naik, filed her nomination from Ward No. 20.
In Chityal municipality, Nagilla Sudhakar, also known as Kaveri, a transgender candidate, submitted nomination papers from Ward No. 1.
Multiple couples in Bhupalpally, Nirmal
In the Bhupalpally municipality, two BRS couples entered the race. Revula Rakesh filed his nomination from Ward No. 4, while his wife Revula Sravanthi contested from Ward No. 25. Another BRS leader, Gandra Harish Reddy, filed from Ward No. 29, and his wife Shobha from Ward No. 10.
Similarly, Nirmal municipality witnessed three couples filing nominations. On behalf of the BRS, Rajender entered the fray from Ward No. 30, while his wife Madhavi filed from Ward No. 40. From the Congress, Appala Ganesh filed from Ward No. 37, and his wife Kavya from Ward No. 36. Another Congress candidate, Tauheeduddin, filed from Ward No. 39, while his wife Ayesha Kausar contested from Ward No. 29.
Ticket disputes, alliance uncertainty
In Chandur municipality of Nalgonda district, a man identified as B. Venu allegedly attempted suicide by consuming pesticide after he was denied a Congress ticket.
In Huzurabad, BJP nominations were filed by individuals associated with the factions of MP Etala Rajender and Union Minister Bandi Sanjay in certain wards.
Meanwhile, in the Kothagudem Municipal Corporation, the absence of a finalised seat-sharing agreement between the Congress and CPI led both parties to field candidates in almost all wards. Party sources said withdrawals may take place later if an understanding is reached.
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