Hyderabad, Feb 10 (NationPress) Over 52 lakh voters are set to participate in the elections across 116 municipalities and 7 corporations in Telangana on Wednesday, as stated by officials on Tuesday.

The State Election Commission (SEC) has put in place comprehensive plans to guarantee a seamless and peaceful voting process across 123 urban local bodies.

A total of 52,17,413 voters are eligible to cast their votes at 8,191 polling stations.

Voting is scheduled from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The SEC has assigned 1,379 Returning Officers and 41,773 polling staff to oversee the electoral process.

According to State Election Commissioner Rani Kumudini, voters have the option to download their voter slips via the SEC website or the TE-POLL app.

The SEC has reported that 12,944 candidates are competing for 2,981 wards within the urban local bodies.

Polling will take place for 2,569 wards across 116 municipalities.

Notably, twelve candidates from nine municipalities have been elected without contest.

Polling for one ward in the Makthal municipality of Narayanpet district has been postponed due to the suicide of a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate on Monday night.

A total of 10,719 candidates are vying for positions in 116 municipalities, including 2,358 Congress candidates, 2,478 Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), and 2,252 BJP candidates.

Officials indicated that 6,017 polling centres have been established for municipalities.

Polling will also be conducted for 412 wards across seven municipal corporations.

Candidates in two wards in Mahabubnagar and Ramagundam were elected without contest.

Authorities have set up 2,174 polling centres in the seven corporations.

There are 2,225 candidates contesting in these corporations, including 410 Congress, 401 BRS, and 382 BJP candidates.

In related news, Telangana DGP B. Shivdhar Reddy announced that strict security measures have been implemented for the elections.

The police have classified 1,302 polling centres as high-risk and 1,926 centres as problematic, with additional forces dispatched to these locations.

He mentioned that webcasting will be utilized at all polling stations for transparency, alongside surveillance cameras positioned outside the centres in particularly problematic areas.

Approximately 3,000 additional police personnel have been deployed to uphold law and order.

The DGP noted that the silent period began after the campaign ended at 5 p.m. on Monday, leading to increased visible policing and intensified patrolling.

Since the election code came into force on January 27, police have conducted thorough checks, resulting in the seizure of Rs 3.09 crore worth of cash and other items.

This includes Rs 1.29 crore cash, liquor valued at Rs 1.21 crore, drugs worth Rs 15.7 lakh, and gold and ornaments totaling Rs 28.69 lakh.

Authorities have established 20 check posts at state borders and 55 check posts between districts to monitor illegal activities.

Special checks are ongoing at borders with Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh, with 181 flying squads and 167 static surveillance teams deployed.

As a precaution, 1,183 licensed weapons have been surrendered statewide, and 4,318 individuals deemed likely to disrupt peace have been detained.

The DGP confirmed that 398 non-bailable warrants have been executed for various cases, and 142 FIRs have been registered for violations of electoral regulations.