Mahesh avadhutha  I hyderabad

The stage is set for a high-stakes political battle in Telangana as the State gears up for its much-awaited local body elections. With the Telangana High Court directing the government to conclude the election process by September 30, the State administration has swung into action, fast-tracking preparations to meet the deadline.

Although an official announcement is awaited, insiders suggest that the poll fight will kick off with Mandal Parishad (MPP) and Zilla Parishad (ZPTC) elections, followed by Gram Panchayat (Sarpanch) polls. The Panchayat Raj department has already begun groundwork in this direction.

Compared to the 2019 local body elections, there has been a slight dip in the number of positions due to administrative reconfigurations. This year will witness elections to 566 MPP and ZPTC seats, and 5,773 MPTC seats, while the number of Gram Panchayats stands at 12,778, down from 12,848 in 2019. The number of wards has been pegged at approximately 1.12 lakh. The drop in Gram Panchayats is primarily due to the merger of several GPs into municipalities and municipal corporations, especially in urban belts.

This election will be the first major electoral test for the Congress government led by CM A. Revanth Reddy after coming to power and following the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. With high political stakes, the Congress, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are all eyeing strong performances to claim supremacy in the state’s rural heartland. Analysts view this round of elections as a barometer of rural support for the Revanth Reddy-led government. Local elections typically favour the ruling party, but any setback here could serve as a potent rallying cry for opposition forces.

Multiple welfare schemes rolled out by the Congress government have reportedly struck a chord with rural voters. Initiatives such as the Indiramma Indlu (housing scheme), distribution of new ration cards, Sanna Biyyam (subsidized rice), Rythu Bharosa, and the free bus travel for women have gained significant traction.

Mekala Narender, husband of former MPP Mekala Varalakshmi from Raghunathpally (Jangaon), believes these welfare measures have given the Congress a decisive edge. “The Indiramma Indlu scheme alone reiterates that only the Congress is serious about giving permanent shelters to reside for the poor in our villages,” he said.

However, not all is rosy. Some schemes such as Bhu Bharathi and Rajiv Yuva Vikasam are yet to take off. Moreover, the real estate sector in both Hyderabad and district towns is witnessing a noticeable slump, with falling transactions casting a shadow over local economic sentiments and the local youth are an affected lot. They used to get some income just by facilitating real estate sales in their areas, which is not there now.

Former Edulabad (near Ghatkesar) Sarpanch Musi Shankar opines that the Congress missed a golden opportunity by not holding these elections earlier. “Had the elections been conducted soon after the Assembly results, Congress would have swept the rural polls riding on a wave of public goodwill. Now, the delay has given the opposition time to build an anti-incumbency narrative,” he observed.

Indeed, both BRS and BJP see these elections as a chance to reassert their presence in Telangana. The BRS, reeling from successive defeats in Assembly and Lok Sabha elections, is keen to demonstrate it is still a force in rural Telangana. Meanwhile, the BJP, buoyed by its strong Lok Sabha and MLC showings, sees an opportunity to expand its rural footprint.

With the electoral bugle set to sound anytime now, political temperatures are rising across Telangana’s countryside. The run-up to the local body elections will be closely watched for key voter concerns, party strategies, and narrative shifts. Ultimately, as September approaches, all eyes will be on who truly commands the confidence of the rural electorate—a verdict that could shape Telangana’s political trajectory in the days to come.