Hyderabad: Polling for municipal elections across Telangana began on Wednesday morning, February 11, covering a wide network of urban local bodies in the state. Voting is underway in seven municipal corporations across 412 divisions and in 116 municipalities covering 2,569 wards.
The polling process started at 7 am and will continue until 5 pm. Voters were seen arriving at polling stations early in the day to exercise their franchise.
To ensure peaceful polling, elaborate security arrangements have been put in place, with police deployed at polling centres to prevent any untoward incidents. The Telangana State Election Commission has also arranged webcasting facilities inside and outside all polling stations to closely monitor the process.
Major parties aim for success
After a major success in the gram panchayat elections in December last year, the ruling Congress aims to consolidate its position as the dominant player in state politics, while the BJP hopes to emerge as a credible alternative to both the Congress and the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS).
Having suffered setbacks in the 2023 assembly polls and 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BRS came up with a decent performance in the gram panchayat polls and is keen to make substantial gains in the municipal elections to reverse its fortunes in the state.
Observing that the Congress government has implemented several welfare programmes, including the distribution of fine variety rice under the public distribution system (PDS), the Arogya Sri health scheme, free travel for women in state-run buses, and LPG cylinders for the poor at Rs 500, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Monday promised to prepare master plans for the development of every municipality.
Counting on Feb 13
Counting of votes is scheduled to be taken up on February 13. Subsequently, indirect elections to key posts—including mayors and deputy mayors in municipal corporations, and chairpersons and vice-chairpersons in municipalities—will be held on February 16.
The total number of registered voters is 52,17,413 with 26,67,025 women, 25,49,750 men and 638 registered as ‘others’.
A total of 1,379 returning officers and 41,773 polling personnel have been appointed to oversee polling and administrative arrangements. A total of 8,191 polling stations have been identified for webcasting, and 16,382 ballot boxes will be utilised.
The SEC also said that 4,150 people were bound under preventive sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and 1,183 licensed arms were deposited as part of the Model Code of Conduct.
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