Counting has begun for the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) election this morning (at 8am, December 4). As of now, BJP is leading on 79 out of 150 seats, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) has been leading in 35 seats, All India, Majlis-e-ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) led by Asaduddin Owaisi is leading in 17 seats while the Congress is leading in 2. The BJP is upbeat and confident of a victory reflected in tweets by various party leaders.

TRS leader K Kavitha stated that the party expects to win over 100 seats under the leadership of KCR.  The party had won the GHMC polls in 2016 in alliance with AIMIM by winning 99 out of 150 seats. This time, the party is facing challenges after the October 13-14 flood, which had created problems in many areas under GHMC. On the other hand, BJP, buoyed by the victory in the Dubakka By-poll is expecting to make it big in the GHMC election. In the campaign for the GHMC election, the Home minister had organized a road-show from Warasiguda to Sitaphalmandi, and had asserted that the city would be freed of the Nizam culture and would move from dynasty to democracy.

The GHMC election was held on Tuesday with a voter turnout of 46.55 %. Arrangements have been made for the counting at 30 places using the help of 8000 personnel. Cameras have been installed at every table to record the counting process.

In this context, the Telangana High court on Friday has kept in abeyance the latest order of the Telangana State election commission that had allowed counting of ballot papers with distinguishing markings instead of the arrow cross-mark rubber stamp as valid votes as it would be treated as a mistake by the polling personnel under Rule 51(h) of Conduct of Election Rules, 2005. The HC has however allowed the counting to continue.

The results of the GHMC election are expected to arrive by evening or night as the process had used paper ballots.