GHMC election: Counting of votes begins

Counting of postal ballots was taken up and later polling station-wise regular ballot papers will be counted.

Counting is taken up in 30 well-equipped centers spread across 166 halls and the trends are expected to be known around 1200 hours. For each ward, counting hall has been provided and in each counting hall 14 tables are arranged.

The total number of personnel engaged in counting is 8,152, Official sources aid.

Polling was conducted across 149 wards on Tuesday and a repolling was held in all the 69 polling booths of ward-26 in Old Malakpet on Thursday.

The re-polling was ordered on December 1 by the State Election Commission (SEC) after the party symbol of a CPI candidate was erroneously printed on the ballot paper as that of CPI-M.

The SEC said in each counting hall 1 Returning Officer or Assistant Returning officer will supervise the process.

In the event of equality of votes, by two or more candidates, the result will be declared by draw of lots by the Returning Officer concerned.

The main contest is between TRS and BJP. The GHMC Mayor post was reserved for Women (General).

In the 2016 GHMC election, the Ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) had won 99 seats followed by Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) 44 out of the total 150 wards.

As many as 74,67,256 voters including 35,65,896 women, are there in the 150 wards and after a high-decibel, no holds barred campaign, an estimated 46.55 per cent (34,50,331) electorate had exercised their franchise in 9101 polling stations set up in 2937 locations to elect their representatives.

Ballot papers were used in total 150 wards of the corporation after obtaining the views of major political parties and the health department in view of COVID-19 pandemic and considering various relevant issues. However, the previous GHMC poll in (2016) were too conducted with the ballot papers. However, EVMs were used in the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.

The 150-ward Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) consists of four districts -Hyderabad, Ranga Reddy, Medchal–Malkajgiri, and Sangareddy.

In all, 1,122 candidates are in the fray and the ruling TRS is the only party which contested all the 150 wards in the election. Except Nawabsahebkunta ward, BJP had contested from remaining 149 wards while the Congress party contested in 146 awards except in four wards - Talabchanchalam, Barkas, Golconda and Tolichowki.

TDP contested from 106 wards, followed by AIMIM- 51, CPI- 17, CPM- 12, other registered parties- 76 and as many as 415 independents.

The highest number of 20 candidates contested from Jangammet ward, while the lowest number of three candidates each constested from Uppal, Barkas, Nawabsahebkunta, Tolichowki and Jeedimetla wards.

Police imposed a ban on bursting of crackers after declaration of results on the counting day.

The electioneering for the GHMC resembled a Legislative Assembly poll with senior leaders from all major parties hitting the streets to gain an upper hand in the election.