2 BJP MPs Miss Key Ex-Officio Votes in Upcoming GHMC-Area Polls

Hyderabad: Two BJP MPs from Greater Hyderabad have lost their chance to vote as ex-officio members in the upcoming elections for three key corporations in Hyderabad, with its Medak MP Raghunandan Rao voting in Isnapur, and Malkajgiri MP Eatala Rajender registering his vote for Yellampet.

As per election laws, ex-officio members like MPs or MLAs can register to vote in only one urban local body per term, making their choice final and irrevocable. The State Election Commission (SEC) confirmed that once registered in a specific municipality or corporation, they cannot shift or vote elsewhere, even if their constituency spans multiple bodies.

Lok Sabha MPs and legislators must select one where their area falls wholly or partly within. However, Rajya Sabha MPs and MLCs, since they lack territorial constituencies, they must be registered voters within that specific municipal area to qualify as an ex-officio.

According to sources in the BJP, the decisions of its MPs defied party lines, prompting the party’s central leadership to demand a detailed report from the state unit on controversial ex-officio voting by MPs and MLAs. Without central instructions or state permission, these votes supported rival parties in six hung municipalities, where BJP members struck local deals with the Congress or the BRS to grab vice-chairperson posts or block opponents.

This action by the party senior elected representatives sparked internal backlash. Though state leadership suspended several grassroots leaders for cross-voting despite party whips, the state leadership is silent in regard to action by the MPs and MLAs. Though whips lack legal force over ex-officio members, they invite disciplinary action, said a senior leader of the party.