Census unlikely to block Hyd municipal polls

Hyderabad: Elections to the three municipal corporations viz. Greater Hyderabad, Cyberabad, and Malkajgiri are likely to be held anytime this year, considering that the Census exercise launched by the Union government is unlikely to create hindrance to the election process.

The tenure of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) ended in February 2026 and elections are due. As per the rules, elections should be taken up once the term concludes. Presently, special officers are running the corporations pending elections.

Previously, the state government had increased the limits of the corporation till the Outer Ring Road (ORR) and had taken up the trifurcation of GHMC into three corporations. Presently, the three corporations are functioning separately under the aegis of the respective special officers.

As per rules, the elections should be completed and a new body should be in place to get funds from the Union government.

As per the Finance Commission, performance- linked grants are strictly linked to timely conduct of the local body elections.

According to top officials in the Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MA&UD) Department, they are ready for holding elections to the three municipal corporations and once the government gives the green light, everything would be in place.

When asked whether ongoing Census exercise would be an obstacle for holding the elections, a senior official said that the entire exercise of expansion and trifurcation was completed before the Centre issued the notification for the census. As per rules, once the Centre issues Population Census notification, the jurisdiction or boundaries cannot be altered until the end of the process. The Census process will be continuing till May next year.

Interestingly, a petition was filed in the High Court stating that reorganisation was contrary to the jurisdictional freeze imposed in connection with Census 2027.

The petition contended that the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India, issued a circular on August 13, 2025, imposing a jurisdictional freeze on administrative boundaries with effect from December 31, 2025 for the purposes of Census 2027. In view of the said freeze, any alteration of municipal limits, bifurcation, or reorganization of local bodies after the freeze date is stated to be impermissible in law and liable to be declared void ab initio.

Amid all this, political activity has already picked up in the city, with major political parties like the ruling Congress, main opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi and the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul-Muslimeen beginning to reach out to people. The Revenue Minister recently visited the Old City to take stock of land for construction of double bedroom houses.

While the BRS has been organising constituency-wise meetings of the party cadre and announcing promises, AIMIM’s top leaders have visited several areas in the constituencies in the old city. BRS working president KT Rama Rao had promised to give 24-hour drinking water supply to the city if his party comes back into power. MIM president Asaduddin Owaisi laid foundation stones for various developmental works.