HYDERABAD: The State Election Commission (SEC) on Friday decided to conduct the much-awaited Mayor and Deputy Mayor elections for the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) at 12.30 pm on February 11. Prior to the elections, the elected ward members will take oath at 11 am on the same day.
The GHMC Council has 149 corporators, a BJP elected member having succumbed to Covid-19 last month.
Interestingly, the government has decided to hold the election on amavasya, perceived as inauspicious by Hindus. As per numerology, the numbers will add to Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao's lucky number six. (56 TS corporators (5+6=11), February 11 (02+11=13) which add to 24 and finally 2+4 =6.)
The SEC has directed GHMC commissioner D.S. Lokesh Kumar to authorise any district collector within GHMC limits to conduct the election./
It reads ‘in exercise of the powers conferred by Sections 9, 10 and 90 of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation Act, 1955 (Act II of 1956) and Rule 3 of Telangana Municipal Corporations (Conduct of Election of Mayor and Deputy Mayor) Rules, 2005, the State Election Commissioner, hereby, directs the Election Authority & Commissioner, GHMC, Hyderabad to authorize one of the district collectors having jurisdiction over any area comprised in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation to conduct election to the offices of Mayor and Deputy Mayor of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation in accordance with the procedure laid down in the said Act and Rules made thereunder and fixes the schedule for the said election in the annexure appended to this notification.’
The TRS has been chalking out plans to technically elect the mayor without the support of MIM. After the oath-taking ceremony, GHMC council requires 50 per cent quorum to elect the Mayor and his deputy. The majority corporators, including ex-officio members, can elect the Mayor and his Deputy without the support of any political party by just evading the meeting.
Technically the TRS does not even require the support of 31 ex-officio numbers and the election would solely depend on quorum. Though MIM has 10, BJP 3 and Congress one as ex-officio members, it would be irrelevant.
The TRS bagged 56 divisions, while BJP secured 48 and the MIM won in 44 divisions in the elections that were held on December 1 after a high-octane campaign.
