Telangana Rural Local Body Elections Date Announced: Check Full Schedule For Polling, Results
State Election Commissioner Rani Kumudini urged citizens to participate responsibly and asked both voters and candidates to adhere strictly to the Model Code of Conduct to ensure free and fair polls.
Telangana is set for a massive electoral exercise, with the State Election Commission (SEC) announcing that elections to rural local bodies will be conducted in five phases across October and November.
The SEC announced that the polls will cover Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituencies (ZPTCs), Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituencies (MPTCs), and Gram Panchayats. The model code of conduct will come into effect in all districts, except Hyderabad.
Polling Schedule
Election Phases: Elections to MPTCs and ZPTCs will take place in two phases on October 23 and October 27, while polling for Gram Panchayats will be held in three phases on October 31, November 4, and November 8.
Nomination Process: The nomination process for Phase 1 would begin on October 9, with polling on October 23. The final phase of the elections will be held on November 8.
Vote Counting: Counting of votes for ZPTCs and MPTCs has been scheduled for November 11, while counting for Gram Panchayats will take place immediately after each phase of polling.
The elections will be held in 565 mandals across 31 districts, covering: 565 ZPTCs, 5,749 MPTCs, 12,733 Gram Panchayats, and 1,12,288 wards.
In total, 1.67 crore voters are eligible to cast their votes, including 81,65,894 men, 85,36,770 women, and 504 voters from other categories.
State Election Commissioner Rani Kumudini, announcing the schedule, urged citizens to participate responsibly and urged both voters and contesting candidates to adhere strictly to the Model Code of Conduct to ensure free and fair polls.
Unlike recent state and national elections that relied on electronic voting machines, these rural body elections will be conducted using traditional ballot papers and ballot boxes, which have been borrowed from Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh.
Elections will not be held in 14 MPTCs, 27 Gram Panchayats, and 246 wards due to court-issued stay orders in pending cases.
The SEC also informed that the High Court had originally directed completion of the election process before September 30, after which the Commission sought an extension of 45 days.
Preparations And Guidelines
The SEC confirmed that all pre-poll activities are complete. On September 26, the state government issued two Government Orders (GOs) outlining reservation guidelines for Mandal, Zilla Parishads, and Gram Panchayats.
A review meeting chaired by the SEC on September 27 with senior state officials, including the Chief Secretary, DGP, and Principal Secretary (Panchayat Raj & Rural Development), finalised election arrangements.
(With inputs from IANS)
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