Hyderabad: The Congress, BRS, and BJP have decided to issue whips to their newly elected ward members, as well as ex-officio members like MPs, MLCs, and MLAs, to prevent cross-voting during the indirect elections scheduled for February 16.
Newly elected corporators will vote on Monday to elect mayors and deputy mayors in corporations and chairpersons and vice-chairpersons in municipalities.
Despite the issuance of a whip, members are not automatically disqualified for voting against party instructions; a process must be followed. Under the Telangana Municipalities Act, 2019, if a ward member violates the whip, the party must file a complaint with the State Election Commission (SEC). The SEC will then issue a notice within a week of receiving the complaint, conduct a hearing, and, if necessary, recommend disqualification. No timeframe has been set for this process. These provisions apply only to elected ward members, while MPs, MLAs, and MLCs are excluded, although they may be subject to party disciplinary action.
Following hung results in 37 municipalities, attention has shifted to ex-officio members – including Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs, MLAs, and MLCs – who are expected to play a key role in the indirect elections. The Congress emerged as the largest party in the hung municipalities with 244 wards (37.4 percent), followed by the BSP with 238 (36.4 percent) and the BJP with 95 (14.5 percent), highlighting the importance of every eligible vote.
The State Election Commission has issued guidelines citing a 2021 Telangana High Court ruling, which clarifies that only Lok Sabha MPs and MLAs who represent constituencies that fall entirely or partially within municipal limits can be included as ex-officio members. Rajya Sabha MPs and MLCs, who do not have territorial constituencies, are eligible only if they are registered voters in the respective municipal area. Any vote cast in violation of these criteria will be considered invalid. This clarification puts an end to the previous practice of deploying Rajya Sabha MPs and MLCs to influence results in neighboring civic bodies. Ex-officio members have equal voting rights as elected councilors and corporators in chairperson and mayoral elections, making their presence essential in highly contested bodies.
Corporations like Nizamabad, Karimnagar, and Kothagudem are expected to witness significant political turmoil. In terms of numbers, the Congress has approximately 65 MLAs, eight Lok Sabha MPs, and three Rajya Sabha MPs, and also has the support of the defecting BRS MLA and MLC.
The BRS has 27 MLAs, four Rajya Sabha MPs, and 20 MLCs (although six of them defected to the Congress) but has no representation in the Lok Sabha, while the BJP has eight MLAs, eight Lok Sabha MPs, and three MLCs. The AIMIM, with one Lok Sabha MP and nine MLAs, is expected to play a key role.
