Telangana Municipal Elections: Ex-officio voting Rlrights clarified

With many municipalities lacking a clear majority, the contest could be decided by a margin of just one or two wards. The votes of parliamentarians and state legislators could be decisive. However, the SEC has issued a crucial circular on 13th February clarifying who can and cannot vote.

- *Lok Sabha MPs and MLAs:* They are eligible if the municipality area falls wholly or partly within their constituency. For instance, if an MLA has six wards in Municipality A and four in Municipality B within their constituency, they can vote in both. However, they can only exercise a co-option vote in one municipality, not both.

- *Rajya Sabha MPs and MLCs:* Since they lack a territorial constituency, their eligibility depends on whether they are registered voters within the municipality.

Any votes cast by members who do not meet these criteria will be declared invalid by the SEC.

This clarification has significant political implications. In previous elections, some parties used Rajya Sabha MPs and MLCs to bolster their numbers in key municipalities. Now, the scope for such strategies has been curtailed, especially if the members' names are not on the voter list of the respective municipality.

Ex-officio members will have voting rights equivalent to elected councillors and corporators. Therefore, even a single vote can sway the outcome of elections for chairman, vice-chairman, mayor, or deputy mayor. Cities such as Khammam, Warangal, Nizamabad, and Karimnagar have become critical battlegrounds, and parties will need to allocate their eligible ex-officio members carefully.

The upcoming indirect elections on 16th February will thus serve as a significant political test for all parties involved.