Hyderabad, 27 January (HS): The Telangana State Election Commission (SEC) on Tuesday announced the schedule for the second phase of municipal elections in the state, with polling to be held on February 11 and counting of votes on February 13.

According to the notification, election notices and ward-wise electoral rolls for urban local bodies will be issued by the respective Returning Officers on January 28. Polling will be conducted from 7 am to 5 pm across 116 municipalities and seven municipal corporations. Re-polling, if required, will take place on February 12.

The counting of votes will begin at 8 am on February 13, with results to be declared shortly thereafter.

Candidates may file their nominations until 5 pm on January 30. Scrutiny of nominations will be taken up from 11 am on January 31, and the list of validly nominated candidates will be published the same day. Appeals against rejection of nominations can be submitted to the District Election Authority until 5 pm on February 1 and will be disposed of by February 2.

Withdrawal of nominations will be permitted until 3 pm on February 3, following which the final list of contesting candidates will be released.

The SEC clarified that the election schedule does not apply to the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), as its term concludes on February 10.

Meanwhile, Minister for Transport and BC Welfare Ponnam Prabhakar stated that the GHMC may be trifurcated after the end of its term. The proposed division would create three corporations—Hyderabad, Cyberabad and Malkajgiri—with Hyderabad Corporation comprising 150 wards, while the remaining two corporations may have 75 wards each.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar