Election schedule for rural local bodies in Telangana released, polling in 31 districts

Telangana’s State Election Commission announced the schedule for rural local body elections, with polling in 31 districts from October 9. Over 1.67 crore voters will elect representatives to MPTCs, ZPTCs, and Gram Panchayats under strict Model Code of Conduct guidelines.

Hyderabad: The State Election Commission (SEC) on Monday released the schedule for the second ordinary elections to rural local bodies, setting the stage for polling in 31 districts across Telangana. The election notification will be issued on October 9. State Election Commissioner Rani Kumudini said the election model code of conduct would be in force from Monday.

As per the schedule, elections to rural local bodies, including Gram Panchayats, Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituencies (MPTCs) and Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituencies (ZPTCs), will be held in a total of five phases. The Gram Panchayat elections will be held in three phases, while the MPTC and ZPTC elections will be held in two phases.

The first phase of Gram Panchayat elections will be held on October 31 and counting will be taken up the same day. Nominations can be filed from October 17 and the last date for filing is October 19. Candidates can withdraw their nominations before October 23.

The second phase will be held on November 4 and results will be declared the same day. Nominations can be filed from October 23 and the last date for withdrawal is October 27. The third phase will be held on November 8 and results will be declared the same day. Nominations can be filed till October 28 and withdrawals will be allowed till October 31.

The MPTC and ZPTC elections will be held in two phases. The first phase will be held on October 23 and counting of votes will be taken up on November 11. The second phase will be held on October 27 and counting will also be on November 11.

Polling will be conducted in 31 districts covering 565 mandals, with elections to 5,749 MPTCs and 565 ZPTCs. The Commission said ballot boxes and papers will be used for polling, with ballot boxes borrowed from Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. A total of 1.67 crore rural voters, including 81.65 lakh men, 85.36 lakh women and 504 others, are eligible to cast their vote.

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

As per High Court directions, the SEC sought a 45-day extension to complete the process, with concurrence from the State government. The Commission has issued comprehensive guidelines on reservations for Mandals, Zilla Praja Parishads and Gram Panchayats.

Polling will be conducted in 31,300 MPTC polling stations and 15,302 MPTC/ZPTC locations. For Gram Panchayats, 12,733 GPs and 1,12,288 wards will go to the polls with 15,522 polling locations being set up.

The SEC appealed to voters and candidates to strictly follow the Model Code of Conduct, urging all to cast their votes freely and fairly. It also appealed to the media to encourage public participation for a peaceful and successful conduct of the elections.