Telangana local body polls notification out by month-end: Ponguleti

Khammam: Telangana Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy on Sunday announced that the State government is likely to issue the notification for local body elections by the end of this month.

With just a fortnight remaining, he urged Congress leaders to rise above internal differences and work in unison to ensure the party’s victory.

The term of local body representatives — including 12,769 sarpanches, 5,717 Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituency (MPTC) members, and 538 Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituency (ZPTC) members — officially ended in January 2024, creating a leadership vacuum across rural governance structures in the state.

Addressing a meeting of Congress leaders from the Palair constituency in Khammam, the minister said more clarity on the election dates would be available after the next Cabinet meeting.

The elections would be conducted in phases, starting with the Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituencies (MPTC) and Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituencies (ZPTC), followed by the panchayat polls.

“There must be strong coordination among local leaders, especially at the village level, to resolve public issues effectively,” Srinivas Reddy said. He emphasised that internal rifts, if any, should be set aside in the party’s larger interest.

He also clarified that the selection of candidates will be based on reservation criteria and their chances of winning. “Merit and winnability will be the key factors in the finalisation of candidates,” he added.