Hyderabad: Voting for the Hyderabad Local Body Member of Legislative Council (MLC) elections began at 8:00 AM on Wednesday at the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) headquarters.
Returning Officer Anurag Jayanti said that two polling booths were set up one for GHMC corporators and the other for ex-officio members. A total of 112 voters are registered for this election.
The main contest is between the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). AIMIM has fielded Mirza Riaz ul Hassan, while Gautam Rao is contesting from the BJP.
In this election, GHMC corporators vote as the main electorate, while MPs, MLAs, and MLCs from the Hyderabad district vote as ex-officio members.
Polling will continue until 4:00 PM, and the vote counting is scheduled for Friday, April 25.
Each polling booth is staffed with four officials, and extra staff have been kept on standby. To ensure smooth conduct and maintain law and order, Section 144 has been enforced around the polling area. A security team of 200 to 250 police personnel has been deployed. In total, around 500 officers and staff are involved in the election process.
Jayanti added that all polling and counting staff have received proper training and that essential facilities have been arranged to ensure a smooth and peaceful voting process.
To support the election arrangements, April 23 was declared a holiday for all GHMC headquarters employees, except those on election duty. These employees will make up for the holiday by working on Saturday, June 14.
