“Municipal elections: Schedule to be announced on January 17, polling expected on February 14?”

Preparations underway for single-phase elections in 117 municipalities and 6 corporations; final voter list to be released on January 16

Hyderabad, January 10 (Zahid Hussain _PMI): Preparations for municipal elections in Telangana have reached an advanced stage. The State Election Commission is likely to announce the schedule for municipal elections on January 17, with polling proposed on February 14. Elections are being considered in a single phase for 117 municipalities and six municipal corporations across the state.

The State Election Commission has already announced that the final voter list will be displayed at all polling stations on January 16, after which the election schedule will be released. The nomination process is expected to be completed by the first week of February, with one week allotted for election campaigning.

Backward Class (BC) reservations have emerged as a key issue in the municipal elections. Although it was earlier announced that 42 percent reservations would be implemented for BC communities, indications suggest this may be limited to 32 percent due to legal hurdles. The BC Deduction Committee, constituted to finalize BC reservations, has submitted its report to the government. If a State Cabinet meeting is held on January 12 or 13, the report may be approved.

In the previous municipal elections, 33 percent reservation was in force. However, following the merger of 27 municipalities into the Greater Hyderabad area, there has been a slight decline in the proportion of the BC population in urban local bodies. In this context, it has been decided to cap the total reservation at 50 percent, while Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) reservations will be finalized based on the 2011 Census.

Meanwhile, the State Election Commission is preparing to conduct the elections using the ballot paper system. The Department of Municipal Administration has sent a letter to the government requesting the release of ₹85 crore for conducting the elections. Elections will be held in 2,996 wards across 123 urban local bodies in the state.(pressmediaofindia.com)