Hyderabad: Local body elections in the state are set to be announced in the second week of August. The state government has instructed the State Election Commission (SEC) to prepare for these elections, with plans to finalize the schedule by the first week of August. The elections will be held in phases, starting with Gram Panchayat elections, followed by Mandal and Zilla Parishad, and finally Municipal elections.
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has directed all departments to complete the necessary steps for distributing scheme benefits, such as new ration cards, to avoid any breach of the election code. This code will be in effect once the SEC announces the election schedule, possibly after August 10.
Due to delays, the Telangana High Court has ordered the government to complete the elections by the end of September this year. A significant challenge remains in implementing a 42% reservation for backward classes (BC) in these elections, as the relevant ordinance is awaiting approval from Governor Jishnu Dev Varma. The government anticipates the Governor’s decision by early August, after which the election process can commence. The SEC has updated the electoral rolls, and the Panchayat Raj department has announced the total number of MPTC and ZPTC segments. Meanwhile, the Municipal Administration and Urban Development department has finalized the number of wards and the merging of villages with nearby municipalities for the elections.
