The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Bypolls: notification issued

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Tuesday, May 06, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Bypolls: notification issued

Special Correspondent

Only four nominations filed on the first day

Issue of Telangana statehood holds the key to outcome of polls
Papers to be vetoed if more than four persons accompany the candidate

HYDERABAD: The process for the byelections to four Lok Sabha and 18 Assembly seats in the State began on Monday with the Election Commission and State election authorities issuing notifications calling for nominations.

A majority of the candidates preferred not to file their nomination papers on account of ‘Amavasya’. Only four nominations were filed on the opening day for Adilabad Lok Sabha (one) and Secunderabad (two) and Khanapur Assembly constituencies.

However, they have time till May 12 for filing for nominations which, will be followed by scrutiny on May 13. The last day for withdrawal of papers is May 15 for the byelections which will take place on May 29. Polling will be held from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and the results announced on June 1.

Mini-general elections

The byelections, being held in as many as ten districts, are being fought by political parties just like a mini-general elections in which the issue of Telangana holds the key to the outcome as the polls in this region (barring Khairatabad) have been caused by the resignation of TRS legislators. A total of 92.64 lakhs voters are registered for the polling which will be conducted at 9,072 polling stations.

New rules

For the first time, the EC has introduced rules aimed at preventing any kind of irregularities. For instances, Returning Officers have been instructed to reject the nomination of a candidate if he or she is accompanied by more than four persons while filing the papers. Besides, presiding officers have been barred from entering into the chamber of the ballot unit of the electronic voting machines,

Chief Electoral Officer I.V. Subba Rao briefed the Election Commission on the arrangements being made for the bypolls. He said citizens could enrol themselves as voters before May 12.

The constituencies for which the notifications were issued are: Adilabad, Karimnagar, Hanamkonda and Warangal (all Lok Sabha) and Therlam, Khairatabad, Jadcherla, ViKarabad ( SC), Musheerabad, Secunderabad, Siddipet, Dommat, Ramayampet, Yellareddy, Dichpalli, Khanapur (ST), Myadaram (SC) Huzurabad, Kamalapur, Cherial, Ghanpur (SC) and Alair (SC).

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