HYDERABAD: The Telangana State Election Commission (TSEC) has issued a directive on the conduct of indirect elections to the offices of chairperson and vice-chairperson of municipalities and mayor and deputy mayor of municipal corporations, in compliance with orders of the Telangana High Court.
The directive follows the High Court’s order in Writ Petition No. 20262 of 2021 relating to elections to the posts of chairperson and vice-chairperson of municipalities and mayor and deputy mayor of municipal corporations.
As per the court’s directions, only specified categories of persons are eligible to become or be co-opted as ex officio members of a municipality. These include persons with special knowledge or experience in municipal administration, who shall not have voting rights; Lok Sabha members and MLAs belonging to Telangana and representing constituencies falling wholly or partly within the municipal area; and Rajya Sabha members and MLCs of Telangana who are registered as voters within the municipal area concerned.
Any member who does not fulfil the prescribed criteria shall not be entitled to vote, and any such vote cast shall be treated as null and void.
With indirect elections to the posts of chairpersons and vice-chairpersons of municipal councils and mayors and deputy mayors of municipal corporations scheduled for 12.30 pm on February 16, 2026, the authorities concerned have been instructed to strictly adhere to these directions during the conduct of the elections.
BRS seeks fresh proceedings
Meanwhile, the BRS has requested the State Election Commission to modify or withdraw the existing circulars or internal instructions that fix February 14, 2026 as the cut-off date, and to issue fresh proceedings clearly permitting submission and collection of Form-II notices and details of ex officio members up to February 15, 2026 at 12.30 pm, in accordance with law.
The party stated that, in the present case, the special meeting is scheduled for Monday. Applying the principle of “one clear day”, the lawful outer limit for issuance of Form-II notices and for furnishing or collecting details of ex officio members would therefore be February 15, 2026 at 12.30 pm, and not February 14, 2026.
The BRS alleged that certain circulars and internal messages have been issued to field officers directing completion of the process by February 14, 2026, which it said were premature, contrary to statute and likely to prejudice the rights of elected representatives and ex officio members. Such instructions, the party argued, violate the requirement of one clear day and may vitiate the entire election process, exposing it to avoidable legal challenges.
“We request urgent action in the interest of fairness, transparency and compliance with statutory provisions,” BRS general secretary R Chandrasekhar Reddy said.