Tight security blankets Telangana as municipal elections grip its cities and towns on this crisp Wednesday. From Hyderabad’s bustling streets to far-flung municipalities, 52.17 lakh voters are heading to polls in 123 urban bodies, covering 2,981 wards. Polling at 8,191 centers began at dawn and runs till dusk, managed by a massive SEC machinery.
With 41,773 staffers and 1,379 returning officers on duty, webcasting covers every vote cast. Commissioner Rani Kumudini’s call to action resonates: download your slip via app or site and vote. Competition is fierce with 12,944 hopefuls, prominently featuring Congress’s 2,358, BRS’s 2,478, and BJP’s 2,252 in municipalities alone.
Unopposed wins dot the landscape—nine in municipalities, two in corporations—while a somber note lingers from a BJP aspirant’s suicide, halting one ward’s polls. Seven corporations buzz with 2,225 candidates across 412 wards and 2,174 booths. DGP Reddy’s forces, bolstered by 3,000 extras, guard 1,302 critical and 1,926 vulnerable sites.
As the day progresses, officials watch turnout closely. Repoll looms Thursday if irregularities arise, counting follows Friday, and leadership polls cap it on the 16th. These elections aren’t just about wards; they’re a litmus test for state parties ahead of bigger battles. Voters, young and old, are shaping their localities’ destiny one ballot at a time.