TGSRTC union elections began across Telangana on Friday after a gap of nearly a decade, with about 35,000 employees expected to vote at 115 polling booths set up across the corporation’s depots. The results are scheduled to be declared on October 17.
The election is being held to choose a recognised union for the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation. Twelve unions are contesting, with the principal contest involving the Employees Union, Telangana Mazdoor Union, National Mazdoor Union and Telangana RTC Workers, among others that have formed alliances.
The corporation has arranged security at all polling locations to ensure the conduct of voting. The booths have been distributed across the corporation’s administrative and operational zones according to the number of eligible voters.
The workforce includes 14,514 conductors, 13,769 drivers, 4,207 garage staff and 2,409 employees in other roles. The election therefore covers the operational workforce responsible for running services, maintaining buses and supporting the corporation’s daily administration.
The Greater Hyderabad zone has the largest voter base, with 13,797 employees. It is followed by the Karimnagar zone with 11,392 voters and the Hyderabad zone with 9,303 voters. The head office has 274 voters, while the bus body unit at Miyapur has 133.
To accommodate the electorate, the corporation has established 32 polling booths in the Greater Hyderabad zone, 38 in the Hyderabad zone and 45 in the Karimnagar zone. Together, these account for all 115 polling booths being used for the election.
The contest also has backing from political formations, with unions supported by the ruling Congress, left parties, the Bharat Rashtra Samithi and the Bharatiya Janata Party, according to the report. The election is the first such exercise in nearly ten years, making the choice of a recognised union a significant internal process for the state-run transport corporation.
Voting began on Friday morning, with the corporation’s security arrangements intended to support polling across all depots. The results will be announced on October 17.
