Stage Set for GHMC polls

Stage is set for holding the crucial polls to Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) on February 2 to elect 150 corporators. As many as 74.23 lakh voters would decide the fate of 1,333 candidates contesting for 150 GHMC wards. It is like holding polls for a mini Assembly. The polling will commence from 7 am and close at 5 pm in about 7,802 polling stations. About 74.23 lakh citizens are registered voters of Greater Hyderabad which include 39,69,007 men voters, 34,53,910 (women) and others (1,163). The counting of votes will take place on February 5 at about 24 countiung centres located in different parts of the city. The GHMC polls have turned prestigious for all the political parties as it is the capital city for both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh states which makes up nearly 1/3 of the population of Telangana State and one fast growing metropolitan city in the country. The parties are trying to win maximum number of seats and grab the Mayor and Deputy Mayor post to have grip over the city for next five years. The first GHMC election after bifurcation is a litmus test for all parties. Nearly 25 lakh Seemandhra voters living in few of the city's biggest constituencies play an important role and the results of the GHMC polls will indicate the TRS standing in the 2019 elections. Formed in 2001, TRS had stayed away from elections in 2003. It had tried its luck in 2009 but had failed to bag a single seat in the municipal elections. Even in the 2014 Legislative Assembly elections, the TRS won only two out of the 24 seats in GHMC limits which include Secunderabad won by Excise minister, T Padma Rao and Malkajgiri by C. Kanaka Reddy. 72 CANDIDATES FACING CRIMINAL CHARGES CONTESTING THE POLLS : As many as 72 candidates from 51 wards contesting the GHMC polls are facing serious criminal charges under various IPC sections. The interesting part is that majority of these candidates who are contesting the polls belongs to major political parties. Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) tops the list with 14 candidates followed by Indian National Congress (13), Telugu Desam Party (13), Majlis Ittehadul-e-Muslameen (11), Bharatiya Janata Party (4), MBT (2), CPI and CPM (1 each) Registered parties (2) and Independent candidates (11). It includes, Former MIM Mayor, M Majid Hussain contesting from Mehdipatnam ward against whom two criminal cases have registered under Section 353 and 448, 504, 323 r/w 34 IPC and Congress party’s Mayoral candidate, M.Vikram Goud son of former Congress minister Mukesh Goud, contesting from Jambagh ward, an accused in 364-A (kidnapping) and 386 r/w 34 IPC case. The state election commission will web cast the polling activity with help of college students for 3,200 stations in the city which are identified as sensitive and critical. More than 25,000 policemen besides NSS and NCC cadets are being deployed to ensure peaceful conduct of the elections. The no-holds-barred campaigning for the polls ended last evening with major contesting parties exuding confidence to put up a good show at the hustings. Meanwhile, printing of ballot papers has been completed for all the 150 divisions of GHMC. These ballot papers have been pasted on the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). He said so far 1,600 micro observers had been appointed and senior observers had conducted training programme to these micro observers in the last two days. Besides this, as many as 2,500 engineering students, who were having laptops of their own, had been drafted for webcasting duly providing them with data card. GHMC had distributed 2,677 postal ballot paper for service voters as against 2,281 postal ballot applications had been received. For each polling station there would be a polling party where one Presiding Officer, one Assistant Presiding Officer and three other polling officers have been deputed. To ensure transparent conduct of its polls, TSEC posted 30 IAS officers as election observers for the local body polls. Additionally, 26 senior auditing officials will coordinate with observers.