The State Election Commission has notified the schedule for election of Mayor and Deputy Mayor of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) which will be held at a special meeting of the newly elected body on February 11. Incidentally, the term of the present body will expire on February 10.
The issue of the notification brings down curtains on the suspense over the process ever since the elections to the corporation resulted in a hung house with none of the three major contenders mustering the required majority.
The election authority, in a notification issued on Friday, directed the GHMC Commissioner to authorize one of the district collectors having jurisdiction over any area comprised in the GHMC limits to conduct election to the offices of Mayor and Deputy Mayor in accordance with laid down procedures. According to the schedule announced by State Election Commissioner C. Parthasarathi, notice for the conduct of special meeting for election to the posts of Mayor and Deputy Mayor would be given on or before February 6.
This would be followed by administration of oath to the directly elected members at 11 a.m. on February 11. The special meeting for the election of Mayor and Deputy Mayor would be held at 12.30 p.m. the same day.
The election authority clarified that the election for the post of Deputy Mayor could not be held unless the Mayor’s election was completed. If the election could not be held on February 11 for any reason, it should be held the next day, February 12, whether or not it was observed as a holiday by the GHMC in line with Rule 5 of the conduct of election rules, 2005, the notification said.
