Delimitation of wards likely to delay civic polls in Warangal, Khammam

Hyderabad: Elections to the Warangal and Khammam municipal corporations will be delayed further, wth the exercise of delimitation of wards still going on. The term of both the corporations will end on Sunday.

The state government wants to take a call on when to hold the elections only after the Nagarjunasagar Assembly bypoll for which the Election Commission is yet to announce the schedule.

While the elections were due before March 14, the government issued orders only on February 1 for delimitation of wards. Unless the exercise is completed and final notification of wards issued by the government, the State Election Commission cannot initiate the poll process.

The Greater Warangal Municipal Corporation (GWMC) has 58 wards with an average population of 14,000 in each ward. There has been a demand from political parties as well as people to increase the number of wards to 66.

There is a demand to increase wards in Khammam Municipal Corporation from 50 to 60.

When the government had advanced GHMC polls by two months from February 2021 to December 2020, there were speculations that the Warangal and Khammam polls would also be brought forward. That was not to be.

With the term of the elected councils ending on Sunday, the government appointed special officers to the Warangal and Khammam corporations on Friday. The special officers will exercise powers and discharge the duties until elected members take office.