Urban local body polls on March 30

Election Code comes into effect as schedule announced

• Election notification to be issued on March 10
• 3,990 ward councillors and 513 corporators to be elected
• Nominations in corporations from March 10 to 13
• In the case of municipalities, it will be March 10-14
• Last date for withdrawal of nominations is March 18
• 146 municipalities and 10 corporations to be covered
• No polls in 9 corporations and 16 municipalities
• Counting of votes to be taken up on April 2

Hyderabad: The State Election Commission (SEC) announced election schedule for 146 municipalities and 10 municipal corporations on Monday. Elections would be held to the urban local bodies from 7 am to 5 pm on March 30 and counting will be taken up on April 2, 2014.

Addressing media persons, the State Election Commissioner P Ramakant Reddy said that about 95. 35 lakh voters would vote in 146 municipalities and 10 corporations. The returning officers of the corporations and municipalities concerned would issue the election notification on March 10 and nominations from the candidates would be received from March 10 to 13 in corporations and March 10 to 14 in the municipalities.

He said that the scrutiny of the nominations would be taken up on March 15 and the final list of the candidates would be published after the withdrawals for which on March 18 would be the last date. He said that the polling would be held on March 30 and re-poll if necessary in any of the municipalities or wards would be held on April 1. The counting of votes would be undertaken on April 2.

Ramakant Reddy said the corporators and ward councilors would elect mayors, deputy mayors and chairman and vice-chairman of their respective local bodies on April 7. “It has been decided to hold to polls on Sunday (March 30) keeping the SSC and Intermediate exams in view”, he added.

The election code of conduct would come into effect with the announcement of schedule. He said that 11,000 electronic voting machines would be used for the voting. The commission had fixed a ceiling of Rs 1 lakh on the election expenditure for the candidates fighting for the municipal wards and Rs 1.5 lakh for the fighting for divisions in corporations.

He said that the voters would elect 3,990 ward councilors in 146 municipalities and 513 corporators in corporations. The corporations of Vijayawada and Karimnagar were declared unreserved while Nellore and Kadapa went for BC (general). Eluru and Chittoor corporations were reserved for BC (women), Rajahmundry, Nizamabad and Anathpur for women (from general category) and Ramagundum for SC reserved.

Referring to the court cases, he said that elections to nine corporations and sixteen municipalities are not being held in the first phase due to the court cases. Legal hurdles involving reservation related issues and merger of panchayats and on-going delimitation process came in the way of holding polls to these local bodies.

He said that the Commission appointed 27 IAS officers as observers of urban local bodies. About 9,015 polling stations and 49,583 personnel would be engaged in the election. On NOTA (none of the above) option, he said that the option would not be there as government should amend the Act concerned to implement it. On the inordinate delay in holding the elections, he said that Commission was ready to conduct the elections, but the government did not give permission by citing court cases. He said that the Commission would appoint a committee to check paid news in print and electronic media. Elections would be held in 53 municipalities and three corporations in Telangana and 97 municipalities and seven corporations in Seemandhra region.