All Set for Municipal Polls Today
Counting of votes is scheduled for February 13, while the indirect election of Mayors, Deputy Mayors, Chairpersons and Vice-Chairpersons will be held on February 16.
Hyderabad: Over 52.17 lakh voters are expected to vote across 2,981 wards across seven municipal corporations and 116 municipalities in Telangana on Wednesday. Polling for Ward 6 of Maktal Municipality in Narayanpet district was put off following the suicide of BJP candidate Erukala Mahadevappa.
Counting of votes is scheduled for February 13, while the indirect election of Mayors, Deputy Mayors, Chairpersons and Vice-Chairpersons will be held on February 16. The seven municipal corporations of Karimnagar, Ramagundam, Nizamabad, Mahbubnagar, Mancherial, Kothagudem and Nalgonda will be going to the polls.
The elections are expected to witness a triangular contest between the Congress and the opposition BRS and the BJP. The polls have assumed significance as they are being fought on party symbols for the first time after the Lok Sabha elections in 2024. Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy will cast his vote in Kodangal at about 11 am.
The Congress is seeking to consolidate its position following its back-to-back victories in the 2023 Assembly elections, 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Assembly bypolls to Secunderabad Cantonment and Jubilee Hills seats, and the recent Gram Panchayat elections.
The BJP aims to expand its presence in urban areas, while the BRS is looking to recover its ground after setbacks in the Assembly, Lok Sabha and bypoll contests.
The government has declared a paid holiday on Wednesday for employees working in factories, shops, establishments and industrial units located in municipal and municipal corporation areas going to polls, to enable them to exercise their franchise.
Security has been tightened across urban local bodies, and election officials said all arrangements were in place to ensure smooth polling.
The SEC informed that voters can download their voter slips and navigate to their polling station using the Te-poll mobile app on android devices, with the help of their EPIC number. It has established a call centre with toll free number 9240021456.
The 10,719 candidates competing for the ward member posts in the Municipalities includes 2,538 candidates from the Congress, 2,478 from BRS and 2,252 from BJP and 220 from AIMIM. And the 2,225 candidates contesting in the municipal corporations include 410 from Congress, 401 from BRS, 382 from BJP and 62 from AIMIM. Besides these major parties, candidates from AAP, BSP, CPM, AIFB, CPI, IUML, JSP and Independents are also contesting the polls.
Elections: February 11
Results: February 13
Indirect election of Mayors/chairpersons: February 16
Municipalities
Municipalities: 116
Wards: 2,582
Unopposed election: 12
Poll adjourned: 1
Wards going to polls: 2,569
No. of polling stations: 6,017
Contesting candidates: 10,719
Municipal corporations
Municipal corporations: 7
Wards: 414
Unopposed election: 2
Wards going for polls: 412
Polling stations: 2,174
Contesting candidates: 2,225