Hyderabad, November 3: The Telangana Assembly election process has been initiated with the issuance of gazette notifications. This marks the commencement of the nomination filing period for the November 30 election, which will decide the fate of the 119 Assembly members.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has released a notification outlining the election schedule. Returning Officers (ROs) across all constituencies have issued a public notice in Form-1, specifying the names of Assistant Returning Officers (AROs) responsible for receiving nominations and the location for nomination submission, i.e., the Returning Officer's office.
Nominations will be accepted during business hours (11 a.m. to 3 p.m.) on working days until November 10 at the Returning Officer's office in each of the 119 constituencies. Nomination scrutiny is scheduled for November 13, and the last date for withdrawal of nominations is November 15.
Polling is set for November 30, with vote counting taking place on December 3. The state is poised for a three-way competition involving the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), the opposition Congress, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The BRS, seeking a third consecutive term, has already announced candidates for 116 constituencies and is leading in campaign efforts. The Congress has also unveiled 100 candidates and is actively campaigning. The BJP has disclosed 88 candidates in three lists. There remains uncertainty about whether the BJP will form an alliance with the actor Pawan Kalyan-led Jana Sena Party (JSP), a constituent of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
The CPI(M) has declared that it will contest independently after the Congress did not concede two seats it requested. The CPI has decided to wait a few days for the Congress's response.
State Chief Electoral Officer Vikas Raj confirmed that all preparations have been made in the offices of the returning officers to receive nominations.
According to the election authorities' orders, only three vehicles will be allowed in a candidate's convoy within 100 meters of the RO's office when submitting nominations. Only five individuals, including the candidates, will be permitted inside the RO's room.
In addition to the nomination, each candidate must file an affidavit in Form-26 disclosing information about their criminal history, assets, liabilities, and educational qualifications.
At least one day before submitting their nomination, each candidate must open a separate bank account to monitor election expenses.
The online nomination process is available through the Suvidha Portal of the ECI, and a signed hard copy of the nomination must be submitted to the RO.
After 3 p.m. each day, the RO will release a list of filed nominations. Copies of nominations and affidavits will be posted on the RO's notice board the same day.
The affidavits submitted by candidates must be uploaded to the ECI website within 24 hours and will also be published on the CEO's website.
