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Hyderabad: In view of the Telangana municipal elections, the state government has declared a paid holiday on polling day on Wednesday, February 11, for all employees – both government and private – working in factories, shops and industrial units located in areas where elections are to take place to enable them to exercise their franchise.
The order has been issued under Section 3 of the Telangana Factories and Establishments (National, Festival and Other Holidays) Act and Section 31 of the Telangana Shops and Establishments Act.
Voting for 116 municipalities and seven municipal corporations will take place from 7 am to 5 pm on Wednesday and votes will be counted on February 13.
In a press release on Tuesday, February 10, the Telangana State Election Commission said that a total of 2,569 wards will go for elections in the 116 municipalities, with a total of 10,719 candidates in the fray.
Twelve wards have already been unanimously elected.
Similarly, a total of 412 wards are going for polls in the seven municipal corporations with a total of 2,225 candidates in the fray. Two wards have been unanimously elected.
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.
A total of Rs 1,19,68,200 cash was seized, along with Rs 1,04,81,164 worth of liquor, Rs 15,68,085 worth of drugs/narcotics and Rs 16,29,550 worth of precious metals/ornaments.
The election assumes great importance as the ruling Congress is seeking to consolidate its position following its success in the 2023 Assembly elections and recent Gram Panchayat polls, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) hopes to strengthen its footprint in urban areas.
Meanwhile, the BRS is looking to stage a comeback after setbacks in the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections.
The SEC has advised people to use the Te-Poll mobile Android application to download voter slips and locate polling stations using the EPIC number. Additionally, a call centre has been established with the Toll-Free number 9240021456 for the voter’s convenience.
This post was last modified on February 10, 2026 6:11 pm