Telangana municipal elections: Poll percentage reaches around 36.63 per cent by 11 am

In Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, where the Dabeerpura ward is witnessing bypolls, the polling percentage was meager at just 3.6 percentage by 9am. 
Voters are waiting in queue line to cast their vote at Wardhannapet Municipality. (Photo| EPS)
Voters are waiting in queue line to cast their vote at Wardhannapet Municipality. (Photo| EPS)

HYDERABAD:  Polling to 120 Municipalities and nine Muncipal Corporations in Telangana is going at a brisk pace. with nearly 36.63 per cent polling reported till 11 am.  Polling in about 3,052 municipal wards coverings 7,961 polling stations began at 7 am and it was reported to be largely peaceful.

Unlike previous elections, the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) could face a tough fight from the BJP from various districts, rather than the Congress. The TRS has already won 80 wards unanimously while MIM won three seats.

As many as 53.37 lakh voters will decide the fate of over 12,898 candidates who are in the fray. The voters will elect 325 corporators for municipal corporations and 2,727 councillors for municipalities.

Of the 12,898 contesting candidates, TRS has fielded 2,975 candidates followed by BJP (2,321), Congress (2,619), Telugu Desam party (347), AIMIM (297), CPI (180), CPM (165) and other recognised political parties (284) while a huge number of 3,760 are constesting independent candidates.

The highest number of candidates are contestting from Nizamabad municipal corporation with 415 followed by Adilabad (286) and Kamareddy (238). The least number of them who are contesting the polls are from Waddepalli (29), Chennur (33), Atmakur (36) and Parkal and Bhootpur (37 each).

ALSO READ| Telangana municipal polls: Youth arrested for taking selfie while casting vote

Facial recognition technology is being used on a pilot basis in the elections for the first time in 10 polling stations of Kompally municipality of Medchal-Malkajgiri district. The polling officer-in-charge took the voter’s photos and uploaded them to a server using a Face Recognition App installed in mobile phones provided to him.

He then compared them with the photographs of all the voters of the concerned polling station. The App displays the result of the verification based on a match established with any one of the voters with an appropriate message.

Authorities have deployed 50,000 police personal  as part of elaborate arrangements to ensure free and fair polling. The government has declared a holiday in the areas where elections are being held on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, polling to Karimnagar Municipal Corporation to elect 60 corporartors would be held on January 24. Elections are not being held in Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), Greater Warangal Municipal Corporation (GWMC) and 10 other urban local bodies as their five year term is not yet over.

Related Stories

No stories found.
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com