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Cong not interested
EC Clears Air Over Election of Mayor: Congress Not Interested. After a week of dilemma over Mayoral election, after Mayor Majid Hussain resigned from the post on March 7, the Election Commission (EC) has clarified that the MLAs, who are ex-officio members of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), can vote.
- Congress yet to finalise on Mayoral candidate
- Not many contenders as the tenure expires in November
- MLAs and MPs, who are ex-officio members of the GHMC, can attend the meeting and vote
- General body meeting to be held on March 22 to accept Majid Hussain’s resignation and for the election of a new Mayor
- Earlier, dilemma was due to the code of conduct and the President’s rule
After a week of dilemma over Mayoral election, after Mayor Majid Hussain resigned from the post on March 7, the Election Commission (EC) has clarified that the MLAs, who are ex-officio members of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), can vote.
Ever since Majid Hussain’s resignation, the GHMC officials were caught in a dilemma. There were heated debates over voting rights of MLAs and MPs due to the Model Code of Conduct (MCC).
The officials wrote to the State Election Commission (SEC) seeking clarification on Monday whether the election code would be applied to convene a general body meeting on March 22.
The letter to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) also sought clarity on whether ex-officio members could participate in the election and utilise their franchise. There are 61 public representatives - MLAs, MPs and MLCs - as ex-officio members who enjoy the same rights as an elected corporator. Of the 60, nearly 40 represent the Congress party.
Responding to the same, the SEC cleared the air stating that the general body meeting could be convened on March 22 and the MPs and MLAs could exercise their franchise. Sources from the GHMC said, “The EC’s response stated that though the President’s rule was invoked in the state, the Assembly was in suspended animation and the members could vote.”
Earlier there were fears over how the corporation would function without the Mayor, as the general elections were almost two months away and the poll code would be in vogue. The civic body’s standing committee plays a crucial role in the administration of the GHMC. It conducts meetings every week to review receipt and expenditure and the Mayor is the chairman of the committee.
Uncertainty over the next Mayor
Usually, the Congress party forms a committee which would be entrusted with the task of choosing the Mayoral candidate. But, the party leaders from the city and the PCC president are busy with the general elections.
It is interesting to note that there is not much competition for the Mayor’s post. Many hopefuls said that there was no point in lobbying as the post would last only till November, when the GHMC would go to polls and the code would be in place a month before that.
There are also reports that the earlier contenders are either vying for an Assembly ticket or have left the party. Sources from the Congress party said that Deputy Mayor G Raj Kumar, floor leader Diddi Rambabu and Hafeezpet corporator V Jagadishwar Goud were in the fray.
