HYDERABAD: Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) elections are likely to be held soon. Indications to this effect were given by state election commissioner (SEC) C Partha Sarathi on Tuesday.
He directed GHMC officials to speed up the process of completing the pre-poll exercise of publishing ward-wise voter list and identification of polling booths among others, as the election commission might announce GHMC poll schedule any time once the final ward-wise photo electoral rolls are published on November 13.
He was addressing returning and assistant returning officers undergoing training for the ensuing GHMC elections and said there would be 150 counting centres at the rate of one for each of the 150 wards. Also, there would be 50 polling stations on an average in each ward. Partha Sarathi directed GHMC commissioner Lokesh Kumar to ensure equal opportunity was given to all political parties and contesting candidates to display their political campaign on hoardings, uni poles, bus shelters, Metro pillars and other vantage points at public places.
The SEC said the returning officers were responsible for every aspect of the election in their respective divisions, including identification of polling booths, polling staff and providing material to the staff.
All 30 deputy commissioners of GHMC have been roped in for election duties and returning officers were also appointed to each of the 150 wards. “Each ward will have 50 polling stations. The returning officers have to make arrangements for video recording and web casting. The polling stations, will be used for face recognition technology,” Partha Sarathi said. He explained the measures to be taken right from the nominations to declaration of results. “
The returning officers have to prepare a checklist pertaining to the duties and responsibilities and should monitor the implementation of poll code, election expenditure and other aspects,” he said.