Jubilee Hills bypoll: Election code comes into force in Hyderabad

Hyderabad, Oct 6 (IANS) The Model Code of Conduct came into effect in Hyderabad district on Monday after the Election Commission of India announced that by-elections to the Jubilee Hills Assembly seat will be held on November 11.

Chief Electoral Officer C. Sudharshan Reddy said that all arrangements are being made to ensure a free, fair, and peaceful election.

The vacancy is caused by the death of sitting MLA Maganti Gopinath of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) in June.

The Commission has directed that all candidates and political parties disclose any criminal antecedents through newspapers, television, and digital platforms to ensure transparency.

The official notification for the by-election will be issued on October 13, while the last date for filing nominations is October 21.

The scrutiny of nominations will be held on October 22, and withdrawal of candidature will be allowed until October 24.

The counting of votes will take place on November 14, and the election process will be completed by November 16.

Hyderabad District Returning Officer R.V. Karnan told mediapersons that new voters can register their names in 10 days.

Karnan, who is the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) Commissioner, also said that with the announcement of poll schedule, the Model Code of Conduct has come into force across Hyderabad district.

The elections will be conducted using Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) systems across all polling stations.

The CEO assured that adequate numbers of EVMs have been tested and deployed to ensure smooth polling.

Voters can use their Electoral Photo Identity Card (EPIC) or other approved identification documents, including Aadhaar, driving licence, passport, PAN card, or pension documents, at polling stations.

He urged citizens to verify their names in the electoral rolls and participate actively in the democratic process.

As per the final electoral roll published last week, the constituency has 3,99,000 voters -- 2,07,382 males, 1,91,593 females and 25 third-gender voters.

In 2023 Assembly elections, the constituency had 3,85,287.

Thus, there has been an increase of 3.49 per cent votes.

Polling for the by-election will be held across 407 polling stations in 139 locations within the constituency.

In the 2023 elections, Gopinath of the BRS had scored a hat-trick by defeating former Indian cricket captain and Congress candidate Mohammed Azharuddin by 16,337 votes.

In a multi-cornered contest, Gopinath had secured 80,549 votes while Azharuddin had polled 64,212 votes.

BJP's L. Deepak Reddy was at third position with 25,866 votes.

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) led by Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi had also fielded its candidate but he came a distant fourth with just 7,848 votes.

The BRS has announced Gopinath's wife Maganti Sunitha as its candidate.

The Congress and BJP have not yet announced their candidates.

--IANS

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