Polling for recognised union elections at the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC) began on Friday after a gap of nearly a decade, with about 35,000 workers expected to vote across 115 booths in the state.
The corporation has arranged security measures at polling locations spread across all RTC depots to facilitate the election. Twelve unions are contesting, with the main contest involving the Employees Union, Telangana Mazdoor Union, National Mazdoor Union and Telangana RTC Workers, among others.
The unions in the fray have received backing from the ruling Congress, left parties, Bharat Rashtra Samithi and the Bharatiya Janata Party, according to the report. The election will determine the recognised union representing workers in the state transport corporation.
Of the expected voters, 14,514 are conductors, 13,769 are drivers, 4,207 are garage staff and 2,409 belong to other categories. The participation of drivers, conductors and maintenance personnel places the election across the operational workforce that supports TGSRTC’s bus services.
The Greater Hyderabad zone has the highest number of voters, with 13,797 workers, followed by the Karimnagar zone with 11,392 and the Hyderabad zone with 9,303. The head office has 274 voters, while the bus body unit at Miyapur has 133.
To accommodate the voter distribution, the corporation has set up 32 polling booths in the Greater Hyderabad zone, 38 in the Hyderabad zone and 45 in the Karimnagar zone. Together, these arrangements cover the 115 polling booths established across the corporation’s depots and units.
The election is the first recognised union poll at TGSRTC after the reported decade-long gap. The result will determine which workers’ organisation receives recognition within the corporation. Results are scheduled to be declared on October 17.
