TPCC to depend on local leaders for civic elections

Hyderabad: Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) would depend on the local leaders in the municipal elections and the State level leaders would confine their role to overall coordination.

The town and district Congress committees would play the major role in the upcoming polls to the municipalities and municipal corporations in the State. Present and former MLAs and present MPs and former MPs would take care of the municipalities of their respective Parliamentary and Assembly constituencies.

The notification for the municipal polls may be issued any time after December 17. The Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MA&UD) department has been told to complete the redivision of wards and fixing of reservations to chairperson, mayor and councillor posts by that time.

Elections would be held to about 120 municipalities and 10 municipal corporations of the State. Polls would be held in municipal corporations except Hyderabad, Warangal and Khammam.

Party leaders said that local leaders would have to play a major role in the polls as the responsibilities have been put on their shoulders. They said that this time the Congress is going to municipal polls with the slogan 'Select and Elect.' The local leaders have to select the candidate and ensure their success.

They said that already the TPCC has entrusted the responsibility of selecting the candidates for the councillor posts to the town and district Congress Committees. They would finalise the candidates in consultation with the present MLAs and MPs and former MLAs and former MPs.

The leaders said that the selection process would be taken up as soon as the notification for the polls is issued. The TPCC would take final decision if any dispute arises on selection of candidates for the wards.

However, the TPCC would decide the chairperson and mayor candidates after the end of the polls. The elections to the municipalities would be held in indirect method.

The elected councillors would choose one of them as mayor and municipal chairperson. Congress leaders said that the campaign part would also be left to the town, district and constituency level leaders.