Hyderabad: As term ends, members will leave with fat ‘gifts’

Hyderabad: Legislative Council elections from the local bodies’ quota have become a jackpot for the outgoing zilla parishad territorial committee and mandal parishad territorial committee (ZPTC, MPTC) members in three districts.

The Election Commission has issued the notification for the election for three Council seats from the local bodies’ quota in Rangareddy, Nalgonda and Warangal districts.

The Legislative Council elections are also a costly affair, as the candidates have to distribute money to their own party members also. In the last election, one MLC candidate paid Rs 3 lakh to some ZPTC and MPTC members to get their votes. This time the MLC candidates are likely to fork out bribes of at least Rs 1 lakh to some ZPTC and MPTC members.

In the Legislative Council elections from local bodies’ quota, the voters are ZPTC and MPTC members and corporators and ward members in municipal corporations and municipalities. The terms of the current ZPTC and MPTC members expire on July 5, 2019. The elections will be held on May 31.

There are around 900 voters in Rangareddy district and 900 in Warangal. Nalgonda has around 1,100 voters. According to TPCC sources, if the MLC elections are held according to the current schedule in these three districts, only 30 per cent of the votes will go to the Congress and the TRS will bag the rest because, during the Assembly elections, several ZPTC and MPTC members of the Congress joined the TRS.

All phases of ZPTC and MPTC elections will be over by May 14 and the results will be declared on May 27, just three days before MLC elections are scheduled to be held. This is why the Congress objects to holding the MLC elections before the new ZPTC and MPTC members take charge.