The forthcoming elections to the urban local bodies is likely to witness keen contests as a total of 12,989 candidates are in the fray in nine municipal corporations and 120 municipalities that are going to polls on January 22.
Multi-cornered contests are in the offing in several of these ULBs as the three principal parties the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (2,972), the Congress (2,616) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (2,313) fielded their nominees in majority of these corporations and municipalities going to polls. The number of independents, rebels who failed to get the B form from the major political parties, is equally significant at 3,750 after the expiry of the last date for withdrawal of nominations on January 14.
Given the number of candidates in the fray after the last date of withdrawal of nominations, it will be at least four candidates per each ward in the 2727 wards of 120 municipalities and 325 divisions of the nine municipal corporations where elections are slated for January 22.
Nizamabad Municipal Corporation with 60 divisions registered the highest number of candidates in the fray at 415 followed by Ramagundam Municipal Corporation where 355 candidates are in the fray for 50 divisions that are going to polls. Adilabad Municipal Corporation with 49 divisions has 286 candidates in the fray, including 49 candidates of the TRS, 46 of the Congress, 44 of the BJP and 118 independents, while Nalgonda Municipal Corporation has 225 candidates, including 61 independents, in the fray for the 48 divisions that are going to polls.
The ULBs of Sangareddy (199) where election will be held in 38 wards and Jagtial (194) where 48 wards are going to polls too registered significant number of candidates who remained in the fray.
The total number of candidates in the Karimnagar Municipal Corporation with 60 divisions is yet to be finalized till late in the evening on Thursday, the last day of withdrawal of nominations in the corporation.
