Day One: 48 nominations filed by different candidates

Hyderabad: On the first day of general election notification issued by Election Commission of India (ECI), 48 nominations were filed by different candidates in the State.

The highest, nine, were filed from Medchal Malkajgiri constituency. There were zero nominations from Secunderabad and Hyderabad constituencies.

There was a provision for candidates to file their nominations online however they have to take prints of the same and submit to the respective Returning Officers before April 24, said Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Vikas Raj.

Addressing a press conference here, he said candidates have to open a new bank account and it could be jointly operated along with a election agent but family members would not be permitted.

For the convenience of candidates in filing their nominations, a helpdesk was set up at each Returning Officers office. On ECI’s notice to BRS chief K Chandrashekhar Rao, the CEO said a letter was received from him appealing for one more week’s time, citing various reasons.

“He has directly written to ECI and a copy was given to us also. The ECI has to take a call on that,” Vikas Raj said.

Regarding a few MLAs contesting the Lok Sabha elections, the CEO said these were legal issues and appropriate decision would be taken at appropriate time by the bodies concerned.

Dismissing the allegations of a few candidates over six lakh bogus votes in Hyderabad parliamentary constituency, the CEO said since last three years, his staff had done intensified work.

There were many inclusions, modifications and deletions even in Hyderabad.

At every stage, there were Electoral Registration Officers and weekly meetings were conducted with political parties and the list of inclusions, modifications and deletions were shared with them.

All the complaints raised by them inquired and based on that also many deletions were done, he said. “We are confident that our Electoral Roll is clean and good and there is no scope for any mistakes,” Vikas Raj said.

Stating that nearly 2.94 lakh employees, including police and other departments were deployed on election duty, the CEO said nearly 40,000 such employees were yet to submit their EPIC details to facilitate their voting.

All these employees should upload their details in a couple of days, failing which they would forego their voting right, he added.