Municipal elections preparations pick up pace in Telangana as voter lists released

Hyderabad: Preparations for the upcoming municipal elections in Telangana picked up pace after the State Election Commission released ward-wise final voter lists and completed key preparatory steps.

Officials said polls will take place in 117 municipalities and six municipal corporations across the state. The total number of voters stands at 51,92,220, including 25,37,136 women, 26,54,453 men, and 631 voters in the ‘others’ category.

As part of the process, the Election Commission held meetings with political parties. It also conducted video conferences with district collectors and municipal commissioners to review readiness.

Authorities said they would release polling station-wise draft voter lists on Tuesday. They added that the final voter list would be published on January 16.

Municipal elections: reservation basis and star campaigner rules explained

Officials said areas going to the polls have a combined population of 57,41,111, based on the 2011 Census. Among them, 2,46,764 belong to Scheduled Tribes, while 7,75,653 belong to Scheduled Castes.

The Election Commission said it would fix SC and ST reservations strictly on the 2011 Census figures. However, it will decide BC reservations based on the Dedicated Commission’s report.

Meanwhile, the Commission asked political parties to submit lists of star campaigners before the election notification. It sent letters to all parties seeking the required details.

The Commission directed parties to submit biodata and identity proof for each star campaigner. It will also issue passes for vehicles used during campaign activities.

Recognised political parties can nominate up to 20 star campaigners, while registered but unrecognised parties can nominate five. The Commission clarified that it will add campaign costs linked to star campaigners to the contesting candidate’s expense account, even if the candidate does not appear in the campaign material.