Telangana: Municipal polls on Jan 22

Hyderabad: Poll bugle for the municipal elections has been sounded in Telangana. The State Election Commission (SEC) on Monday announced the schedule for the conduct of elections in 120 municipalities and 10 municipal corporations on January 22.

While the election notification will be issued on January 7, filing of nominations will begin on January 8 and the last date for submission of nominations is January 10.

The nominations will be scrutinised on January 11 and the aspirant contestants will be allowed for appeal against the rejection of nominations, if any, on the next day and the appeals will be disposed of on January 12.

The last date for withdrawal of candidature is January 14. The commission will announce the final list of the contesting candidates on the same day. After the polling on January 22, counting of votes will take place on January 25 and results will be declared on the same day.

The commission also announced the schedule for the preparation and publication of the electoral rolls. The ward-wise draft electoral roll will be displayed on December 30 and receive objections, if any, on re- arrangement of the urban assembly voters from December 31 to January 2, SEC V Nagi Reddy said, adding that the final publication of the ward-wise photo electoral rolls will be done on January 4. The commission will finalise the reservation of the wards after the final publication of the voters' list.

The newly created municipalities in the Greater Hyderabad and HMDA limits – Manikonda, Ghatkesar, Dundigal, Narsingi , Adibhatla, Thukkuguda, Kompally, Shankarpally, Shamshabad, Ibrahimpatnam will also go to the polls . The total number of municipalities in Telangana are 128 and the elections will be held in 120.

The commission will announce the poll schedule for the remaining 8 municipalities – Zaheerabad , Manuguru, Mandamarri, Siddipeta, Achampeta, Nakrekal and Badepalli after addressing the local administrative issues.

The election bound 10 municipal corporations are – Karimnagar, Ramagundam, Badangpet, Meerpet, Bandlaguda Jagir, Boduppal, Peerazadigua, Jawaharnagar, Nizampet and Nizamabad.

Telangana has 13 municipal corporations. The elections for the GHMC, Warangal and Khammam Corporations will be held after the end of five-year term of the current elected bodies.

The election code has come into effect soon after the schedule has been announced by the SEC in all urban bodies in Telangana, officials said, adding that the Returning Officers in the municipalities will oversee all the poll-related arrangements, including the violation of code by any parties.

Party sources said that Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao in consultation with TRS working president and Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister KT Rama Rao was preparing the party manifesto which will be made public soon after the issuance of the poll notification.

TPCC chief N Uttam Kumar Reddy is already holding talks with senior leaders to prepare the Congress manifesto.