Hyderabad, November 22: All arrangements have been completed for the smooth conduct of elections of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) tomorrow even as the city police
had made elaborate security arrangements for the elections.
The polling would commecne at 0700 hrs and would continue till 1700 hrs in all the 150 divisions of the GHMC, which was formed two and half years ago incorporating the neighbouring muncipalities into the erstwhile Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad with a geographical jurisdiction of 621 square km.
According to official sources, in all 1,310 candidates were in the fray and among them 403 were women. Nearly 5,800 polling stations were set up in all the divisions and over 15,000 Electronic Voting Machines would be utilised for the elections. GHMC Special Commissioner and District Election Officer M T Krishna Babu said all the 5,790 polling stations would be manned by five officials and the polling staff with material would reach their respective stations by evening.
GHMC elections are considered as mini Assembly election as 57 lakh voters are eligible to exercise their franchise to elect the corporators for 150 divisions spread over the five Lok Sabha constituencies and 24 Assembly constituencies in the districts of Hyderabad, Ranga Reddy and Medak.
The Congress had ratained the power in 2009 elections and this was the first time that the civic body polls were being held after the formation of the GHMC and the tragic death of former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy. The counting would take place on November 26 and the results would be announced by afternoon the same day.
Mayor and Deputy Mayor elections would be held on December 4.
——Agencies