Hyderabad: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has completed all preparations for the upcoming election to the Telangana Legislative Council under the Hyderabad local body quota. The election will take place on Wednesday. A total of 112 people are eligible to vote, including 81 corporators and 31 ex-officio members.
For the first time in 22 years, the election is being contested. In previous years, the winner was chosen unanimously without voting. This time, candidates from two parties—AIMIM and BJP—are in the race. Congress and BRS have decided not to participate due to their lower numbers. AIMIM is fielding Mirza Riaz-ul-Hasan, while the BJP has nominated Gautam Rao.
Voters in this election include corporators from the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), as well as Members of Parliament, Members of the Legislative Assembly, and Members of the Legislative Council from the Hyderabad district. Polling will take place on Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. using ballot papers. The votes will be counted on April 25 at the GHMC headquarters.
To ensure smooth counting, the ECI has appointed a team that includes a micro observer, a counting supervisor, and two assistants. Two polling booths have been set up at the GHMC office—one for corporators and another for ex-officio members.
Party-wise, AIMIM holds the most votes with 41 corporators and 9 ex-officio members, totaling 50. The BJP has 18 corporators and 6 ex-officio members, giving them 24 votes. Congress has 14 votes—7 from corporators and 7 from ex-officio members. BRS has 15 corporators and 9 ex-officio members, also totaling 24 votes.
Even though the BJP doesn’t have enough votes to win outright, it is contesting the Hyderabad LAC election for the first time. This has added interest to the election, as political leaders speculate about the outcome. The BRS has decided to boycott the election and has instructed its corporators not to vote. Meanwhile, BJP leaders are urging voters to follow their conscience when casting their votes.
The Election Commission had announced the election schedule on March 24 and issued the official notification on March 28. With two candidates in the race, the ECI is moving forward with the election as planned.
