Telangana Gram panchayat polls likely in January

Elections are on the horizon for 12,769 gram panchayats in Telangana. As per the Panchayat Raj Act 2018, the current governing body's tenure is set to conclude on January 31, 2024

Hyderabad: Political parties in Telangana are up for another face-off, this time to prove their strength in rural local bodies. With the tenure of rural local bodies expiring on January 31 next year, the State Election Commission (SEC) has already begun preparations to conduct the elections and has directed all District Collectors to kickstart the election process.

Elections are on the horizon for 12,769 gram panchayats in the State. Though the previous BRS government proposed for formation of 224 new gram panchayats in the State, the file is pending approval from the Governor. If the Governor clears the file before the election notification, elections will be held for a total of 12,993 gram panchayats.

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As per the Panchayat Raj Act 2018, the current governing body’s tenure is set to conclude on January 31, 2024. In 2019, the election notification was issued on January 1 and polling was held in three phases on January 21, 25, and 30. This time, the SEC is expected to release the notification in the last week of December and conduct the polling in three phases.

Normally, the election process should commence three months prior to the conclusion of the incumbent panchayat body’s term. However, owing to the recent Assembly elections, the process is learnt to have got delayed slightly. The State government already communicated the voters’ list with the Commission. Village secretaries, in adherence to orders, have already submitted details concerning reservations for Sarpanch and ward members.

A directive issued on December 4 by SEC secretary M Ashok Kumar has advised the District Collectors to initiate necessary measures, including the appointment of Election Returning Officers, Polling Officers, and the training of staff for election duties. The polling will be conducted via ballot papers.

The 2019 law enacted by the then State government mandates reservations for gram panchayat elections to remain in force for 10 years. Sources said that unless the new Congress government decides to alter the reservations, the elections are likely to proceed with the existing reservations.

Official sources said making any changes to the existing reservations would need three to four months and hence, any fresh changes were very unlikely to ensure that the elections are held as per schedule. However, aspirants, particularly those vying for reservations based on categories like SC, ST, BC, General, and women, are eagerly waiting for clarity in this regard.

The upcoming year, 2024, is poised to be an election-heavy period, with consecutive polls scheduled from January to May. After the gram panchayat elections in January, the polls for MPTC, ZPTC, Mandal Praja Parishad and Zilla Praja Parishad chairman posts, are lined up. This will be followed by elections to six MLC posts in March and April. The election season will culminate with the Lok Sabha elections anticipated to be held in May.