Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation election vote counting to begin at 8 am today

HYDERABAD: The counting of votes in the 150-ward Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) poll would be taken up on Friday (December 4).

Elaborate arrangements have been made for the counting process which would begin at 8 am on Friday. Counting centres have been set up at 30 places and the total number of personnel engaged in counting is 8,152, official sources said on Thursday.

The entire counting process would be recorded with CCTV cameras installed at every counting table, they said. Ballot papers were used for the poll and consequently, the results are likely to be known only in the evening or in the night.

The Telangana State Election Commission had decided to conduct the election with ballot papers after obtaining the views of major political parties, health department in view of COVID-19 and taking into consideration various relevant issues, the SEC said earlier.

Despite a high-pitch campaign by several parties, the turnout of the voters on December 1 was an unimpressive 46.55 per cent (34.50 lakh) out of the total 74.67 lakh voters, according to official sources.

Top leaders, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, party president J P Nadda, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Union Ministers Prakash Javadekar, Smriti Irani and MoS (Home) G Kishan Reddy, who is Lok Sabha member from Secunderabad, party MP and BJYM national president Tejasvi Surya participated in the campaign.

The BJP highlighted the TRS's alliance with the AIMIM and sought votes to provide clean and transparent administration in the city. The TRS, however, denied any alliance with the AIMIM.

The TRS's campaign was led by its working president and state Municipal Administration Minister K T Rama Rao, while party supremo and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao addressed a public meeting. The state's ruling party has deployed several state Ministers and legislators for canvassing in the city.

The Congress's poll battle was led by its state president N Uttam Kumar Reddy and Working President A Revanth Reddy (both MPs) and other senior leaders.

The TDP, once a major force in the state, sought to revive its fortunes highlighting the development witnessed in the city, including in the IT sector, during N Chandrababu Naidu's regime as Chief Minister in undivided Andhra Pradesh. The TRS and BJP leaders were engaged in a war of words.

On December 3, repolling was held in the Old Malakpet ward of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) after an error was detected in the ballot paper with regard to the symbol of the CPI candidate during polling on December 1.

The Telangana State Election Commission (SEC) on Tuesday ordered fresh poll to be conducted on Thursday in all 69 polling stations of Old Malakpet (Ward number 26) after it was found that the symbol of CPI (M) (Hammer, sickle and star) was printed instead of CPI's symbol (Ears of Corn & Sickle) in the ballot paper.

The CPI had petitioned the election authorities on the matter.

Official sources said the polling percentage in the Old Malakpet ward was 38.46.

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