Telangana State Election Commissioner (SEC) Rani Kumudini on Monday officially announced the schedule for the second ordinary elections to rural local bodies. The elections will cover Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituencies (MPTCs), Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituencies (ZPTCs), and Gram Panchayats (GPs) across the state.
The elections will be conducted in multiple phases. MPTC and ZPTC elections are scheduled for October 23 and October 27, 2025, while Gram Panchayat elections will take place in three phases on October 31, November 4, and November 8, 2025. Votes will be counted on the same day as polling in each phase.
A total of 12,733 Gram Panchayats, 5,749 MPTCs, and 565 ZPTCs will go to polls, covering 112,288 wards across 31 districts and 565 mandals. To conduct the elections smoothly, 1,12,474 polling stations will be set up at 15,302 MPTC/ZPTC locations and 15,522 GP polling locations.
The rural voter strength in Telangana stands at 1,67,03,168. This includes 81,65,894 male voters, 85,36,770 female voters, and 504 voters under the ‘others’ category.
Rani Kumudini said that all pre-election preparations have been completed. She explained that under Section 197(6) of the Telangana Panchayat Raj Act, 2018, the election dates were finalised with the concurrence of the state government. The government has also issued detailed guidelines on reservations for various rural local bodies through G.O.Ms No. 41 and 42, dated September 26, 2025.
A state-level coordination meeting was held on September 27 at the SEC office in Hyderabad, chaired by the Election Commissioner. The meeting was attended by the Chief Secretary, Director General of Police, senior officials from the Panchayat Raj and Rural Development (PR&RD), Finance, Excise, and other departments. All departments assured their readiness for the elections.
The schedule follows directions of the Telangana High Court, which had asked the Election Commission to complete the process by September 30, 2025. However, the SEC was granted a 45-day extension, allowing polls to be held in October and November.
Polling in 14 MPTCs, 27 Gram Panchayats, and 246 wards will be withheld due to court stay orders. Voting will be conducted using ballot boxes and ballot papers. To meet demand, ballot boxes have been procured from states such as Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh.
Appealing to citizens, Rani Kumudini urged rural voters to participate in large numbers and exercise their democratic right in a free and fair manner.