By Pramod Chaturvedi
Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], September 29 (ANI): Telangana State Election Commissioner Rani Kumudini, addressed the media in Hyderabad on Monday and officially announced the schedule for the second ordinary elections to rural local bodies. The elections will be conducted in multiple phases across the state, covering Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituencies (MPTCs), Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituencies (ZPTCs), and Gram Panchayats (GPs).
According to the announced schedule, the MPTC and ZPTC elections will be held in two phases, on October 23 and October 27, 2025. The Gram Panchayat elections will be held in three phases on October 31, November 4, and November 8, 2025. The counting of votes will be conducted on the same day as the polling for each respective phase.
A total of 12,733 Gram Panchayats, 5,749 MPTCs, and 565 ZPTCs will go to the polls, encompassing 112,288 wards across 31 districts and 565 mandals. Polling will take place at 15,302 MPTC/ZPTC locations and 15,522 GP polling locations, with 1,12,474 polling stations being set up for the smooth conduct of elections.
The total rural voter strength in the state stands at 1,67,03,168, comprising 81,65,894 males, 85,36,770 females, and 504 other voters.
Rani Kumudini stated that the State Election Commission has completed all pre-election preparations. Under Section 197(6) of the Telangana Panchayat Raj Act, 2018, the dates for conducting elections were finalised in concurrence with the State Government, as required by law. She informed us that the draft schedule had already been communicated to the government and concurrence had been obtained.
She further explained that the Government of Telangana, through G.O.Ms No. 41 and G.O.Ms No. 42 dated 26-09-2025, issued detailed guidelines on reservations for various rural local bodies, including Mandal and Zilla Praja Parishads, and Gram Panchayats. The government is the competent authority for determining these reservations as per the Act.
A state-level coordination meeting was held on September 27, 2025, at the SEC office in Hyderabad. The meeting, chaired by the State Election Commissioner, was attended by the Chief Secretary, the Director General of Police, the Principal Secretary (PR&RD), Finance officials, representatives from the Prohibition & Excise department, and the Director of Panchayat Raj. All departments confirmed their readiness for the elections.
The schedule also follows the directions of the Hon’ble High Court in Writ Petition Nos. 2399, 2406, 2410, 2413, 2661, and 2665 of 2024, which instructed the State Election Commission to complete the election process by September 30, 2025. However, the SEC sought and was granted a 45-day extension through IA No. 1/2025 in WP No. 2355/2025, enabling the elections to be held in October and November.
The Principal Secretary of PR&RD has also furnished the final gazette notifications on reservations, allowing the Election Commission to proceed with issuing the official notification as per Section 197(6) and Section 198 of the Telangana Panchayat Raj Act, 2018.
Polling in 14 MPTCs, 27 Gram Panchayats, and 246 wards will be withheld due to court-issued stay orders in various cases.
Voting will be conducted using ballot boxes and ballot papers. The ballot boxes have been procured from other states, including Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh, to meet the logistical demand.
In her address, Rani Kumudini appealed to all eligible rural voters to participate in the elections in large numbers and exercise their franchise in a free and fair manner. She also urged all political parties and candidates to strictly adhere to the Model Code of Conduct. The Commission sought the cooperation of the media in encouraging voter participation and ensuring a peaceful election process. The official notification has been released to ensure wide publicity across the state. (ANI)
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