Telangana Begins Nomination Process for Gram Panchayat Elections

Hyderabad, Nov 2025 : The nomination process for the upcoming Gram Panchayat elections in Telangana commenced on Thursday, marking the beginning of a key democratic exercise across rural parts of the state.

Nominations opened for the first phase of elections covering 4,326 villages and 37,459 wards. Candidates can submit their nominations until November 29, while December 3 has been set as the final date for withdrawal. Election officials stated that nominations will be accepted daily between 10:30 a.m. and 5 p.m.

The first phase of polling is scheduled for December 11, with voting to be conducted from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Counting will begin the same day at 2 p.m. According to the notification issued by the Telangana State Election Commission (TSEC) on Tuesday, elections will be held in three phases—December 11, 14 and 17—to fill 12,728 sarpanch posts and 1,12,242 ward positions.

State Election Commissioner I. Rani Kumudini announced that the Model Code of Conduct has come into immediate effect across Telangana. A total of 1.66 crore rural voters are eligible to participate in this electoral process.

For the second phase, nominations will be accepted from November 30, with December 6 as the deadline for withdrawal. The third and final phase will see nominations filed from December 3, and the last date for withdrawal set for December 9.

The decision to hold only Gram Panchayat elections in December was taken during the Telangana Cabinet meeting on November 17. The move is aimed at ensuring the utilisation of the Rs 3,000 crore grant allocated by the Centre under the 15th Finance Commission, which is set to lapse on March 31, 2026, when the Commission’s term ends. If elections are not conducted before the deadline, the funds meant for Gram Panchayats would remain unclaimed.

The government clarified that elections for Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituencies (MPTCs), Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituencies (ZPTCs), and various municipal corporations will be scheduled only after the High Court issues final orders concerning the 42% reservation for Backward Classes (BCs). The court has stipulated that all local body elections must adhere to the 50% cap on total reservations.

In line with this directive, the SEC has earmarked 17.08% reservation for BCs in Gram Panchayats. Of the 12,735 Gram Panchayats, 2,176 have been reserved for BC candidates. Reservation distribution varies across districts: Siddipet has the highest BC reservation at 26.772%, while in Bhadradri Kothagudem, no Gram Panchayat has been reserved for BCs.

The multi-phase election is expected to shape the local governance framework at the grassroots level, ensuring that elected bodies are constituted before the financial deadline and enabling the flow of crucial development funds into rural Telangana.