Hyderabad, April 30:  The voting for seven urban local bodies in Telangana began on Friday at 7 am. The polling is taking place in two municipal corporations – Warangal and Khammam and five municipalities - Siddipet, Nakrekal, Atchampet, Kothur and Jadcherla in the state. There are 1,300 candidates in the fray from 257 wards. Over 11.73 lakh voters will decide the fate of these candidates.

The voting is also taking place in five wards in various urban local bodies, including Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, to fill the vacancies. The main competition will be between the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and opposition parties, including Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The campaigning for the polls ended on Tuesday. GHMC Election Results 2020: BJP Stuns With Win in 48 Seats of Hyderabad Civic Body, TRS Reduced to 55, AIMIM Retains 44.

The voting for the Telangana urban local bodies is taking place as per COVID-19 protocols. Wearing masks and maintaining social distancing is mandatory for voters. Over 4,500 security personnel are deployed to conduct free and fair polling. Hyderabad Municipal Corporation Elections 2020: Prakash Javadekar Slams Telangana CM K Chandrasekhar Rao Ahead of Polls, Says ‘His Assets Are Increasing and State Govt’s Assets Are Decreasing’.

Notably, the TRS had won both the municipal corporations in the last elections. The Congress and other opposition parties lashed out at the ruling parties and alleged lack of development in these municipal corporations and municipalities. The counting of votes will take place on May 3, and the results are likely to be announced on the same day.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 30, 2021 11:02 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).