Hyderabad: 42 candidates file nominations on first day

Hyderabad : Asmany as 42 candidates, representing different parties, filed a total of 48 nominations on the first day of nominations, informed Chief Electoral Officer Vikas Raj. They include former ministers Eatala Rajender (Malkajgiri), D K Aruna (Mahbubnagar) and ex-MLA M Raghunandan Rao (Medak) from BJP.

The BRS candidates, who received the B-Forms on Thursday, will begin filing nominations from Friday. The party chief and former CM KCR handed over B-Forms at Telangana Bhavan to party contestants.

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, who is also the PCC chief, will begin handing over B-Forms from Friday. He will accompany Mahbubnagar candidate Challa Vamshichand Reddy at the time of filing nomination, which will be the first from ruling party.

The CEO told the media that a total of 48 nominations were filed by 42 ‘unique candidates’. He said the Election Commission set up Help Desk at the Returning Officer’s office. He informed that 51 Assembly segments were identified as expenditure sensitive, while 204 border check-posts, 444 flying squads, amongst others, were deployed.

“With 16 nodal officers and 90 enforcement agencies on ground, a total of 2.94 lakh employees are on election duty,” he explained.

Vikas Raj said 4,099 MCC violations were registered under IPC and also Excise Acts. The MCMC committees approved 105 political advertisements.

The CEO stated that there 3,31,48,527 voter; more women voters were enrolled. “More women are getting enrolled in Assembly polls; it was 1000; now it stands at 1010.”

He said that the number of polling stations across the State are to be increased, mostly in Nagarkurnool and Komarambheem- Asifabad districts.

Instructions have been issued to the returning officers, as part of measures for summer mitigation, to make special arrangements, including adequate shade and attention to the vulnerable, the CEO added.