Telangana Local Body Election Schedule Released

The State Election Commission (SEC) has announced the schedule for the elections to Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituencies (MPTCs), Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituencies (ZPTCs) and Gram Panchayats in Telangana.

According to the SEC, the official election notification will be issued on October 9. Voting will be held across all 31 districts, covering 565 mandals, for 5,749 MPTCs and 565 ZPTCs.

State Election Commissioner Rani Kumudini said that the elections would be conducted in five phases. MPTC and ZPTC elections will be held in the first two phases, while Gram Panchayat elections will take place in the final three phases.

The first phase of the MPTC and ZPTC elections is scheduled for October 23, and the second phase on October 27. Gram Panchayat elections will be held on October 31, November 4 and November 8. The counting of votes for the Gram Panchayat elections will be taken up on the same day as the polling, and the counting for the MPTC and ZPTC elections will be held on November 11.

Approximately 1.67 crore rural voters are eligible to cast their votes, including 81.65 lakh men, 85.36 lakh women and 504 individuals identifying as others.

Meetings were held with senior State officials, including the Chief Secretary, the DGP and the heads of key departments, to finalise the arrangements. All the officials confirmed their readiness to conduct the elections as per schedule.

Following a High Court directive, the SEC sought and obtained State government approval for a 45-day extension to complete the election process. The Commission has also issued detailed guidelines regarding reservations for Mandals, Zilla Praja Parishads and Gram Panchayats.