Ex-officio voting row triggers political controversy in Kagaznagar, Bellampalli municipalities

Participation of elected representatives as ex-officio members in chairperson elections of hung municipalities has triggered controversy, with allegations in Kagaznagar and Bellampalli over voter eligibility as political parties scramble for numbers ahead of crucial civic polls.

Adilabad: Participation of elected representatives in the direct election of chairpersons in municipalities that witnessed hung verdicts is snowballing into controversy.

Former Sirpur (T) MLA Koneru Konappa alleged that Congress MLC Dande Vittal was attempting to cast his vote as an ex-officio member by illegally including his name in the voter list of the Kagaznagar civic body. He claimed that Vittal’s name was not featured in the recently revised electoral rolls and that enrolment of new voters was undertaken over the past 10–15 days.

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Konappa said Vittal’s attempt to participate in the chairperson election was against the norms and urged Collector K Haritha and election officials to conduct a comprehensive probe into the matter. He demanded that the government bar the MLC from casting his vote as an ex-officio member in the chairperson election scheduled to be held on Monday.

In the recent municipal elections, no party secured the magic figure in the 30-member Kagaznagar municipality. The BRS emerged as the single largest party with 11 wards, while the Congress and BJP bagged nine and five wards respectively. Independents won four wards and AIMIM secured one ward, placing them in a decisive role. The BRS is making efforts to capture the civic body with the support of Independents and AIMIM.

Similarly, Bellampalli MLA G Vinod is facing criticism for attempting to exercise his franchise in the election of the chairperson of Bellampalli municipality. BRS leaders alleged that Vinod is registered as a voter in Hyderabad and has never cast his vote in the Bellampalli Assembly constituency. They urged officials to prevent him from enrolling as an ex-officio member in the municipality.

In the 34-member Bellampalli municipality, both the BRS and Congress are tied at 14 wards each, while Independents won five wards and emerged as kingmakers. However, the BRS strengthened its position after Independent Shankar Singh and a Congress councillor joined the party on Sunday. BJP councillor Rammurthy from the 34th ward also extended unconditional support to the BRS, dealing a setback to the Congress.

Elected public representatives are eligible to participate in the election of chairpersons and deputy chairpersons of municipalities as ex-officio members if their parties require support to secure an absolute majority.