Elections to the 150-member Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) will be held on February 2, State Election Commissioner Nagi Reddy announced here on Friday.
Releasing the poll schedule at a media conference Nagi Reddy said that nomination process will continue from January 12 to 17. Papers will be scrutinised on January 18 and nominations can be withdrawn till January 21. After the polling on February 2, votes will be counted on February 5.
12000 electronic voting machines will be used at 7757 polling stations in the Corporation limit, he said. Pointing out that more than 3000 polling stations were sensitive, state election commissioner said that 30 IAS officers will be deployed as observes to ensure free and fair elections.
GHMC is the riches and the biggest civic body in the state of Telangana and its election was being seen as a battle of prestige for all the political parties specially the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti.
The Hyderabad High Court had quashed a controversial GO of the State Government curtailing the campaign time to only 15 days.
Election commission came out with the schedule soon after the state government announced the list of reserved wards for backward classes, schedules castes and tribe and the women.
As per the list of reservation, only 44 of the 150 wards were unreserved and 44 were reserved for general women. 25 wards will be reserved for the backward classes and another 25 for the BC-women. Five each for scheduled caste and scheduled caste women, and 1 each for the scheduled tribe general and scheduled tribe women.
4% of the seats reserved for the BC general and BC women will be for the Muslim minority. The main fight was expected to be between the alliance of TRS-MIM, TDP-BJP and the Congress party.
The model code of conduct has also come in to effect with the announcement of the poll schedule, Nagi Reddy said.