After achieving resounding success in the gram panchayat and municipal elections across Telangana, the ruling Congress is gearing up for the Mandal Parishad and Zilla Parishad elections in March, people familiar with the matter said.
Elections for 31 Zila parishes with 565 seats in Territorial Parishad Constituency (ZPTC) and 566 Mandal parishes with 5,773 seats in Territorial Parishad Constituencies (MPTC), have been pending since January 2025, when their previous term ended. They were under the authority of special officers appointed by the state government.
A senior Congress leader familiar with the matter said that Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy called a meeting of senior ministers and party leaders on Wednesday to discuss the strategy for the Mandal Parishad and Zilla Parishad elections.
“The Congress party is in an upbeat mood after winning more than 90% of municipalities and municipal corporations in the just-concluded elections. The chief minister wants the party to capitalize on the mood of the people and make a similar show in the MPTC and ZPTC elections,” the party leader said.
He said the Prime Minister wants to complete the entire electoral process within the next 20 to 25 days. “However, the election dates should be fixed keeping in mind the Class 10 and Intermediate examinations, apart from the budget session of the state assembly,” he added.
While intermediate exams will begin on February 25 and end on March 18, class 10 exams will begin on March 14 and continue until April 16. Meanwhile, the budget session of the state assembly will begin on March 16.
The government is considering the possibility of announcing the election schedule either before the start of the budget session or in a manner consistent with it, while ensuring minimal inconvenience to the public and the educational system.
“The government will work out the schedule to ensure that the polling process does not disrupt students appearing for exams. The final decision will be taken in the cabinet meeting scheduled on February 23 and the State Election Commission will be informed to announce the schedule,” the Congress leader said.
He said the government will have to complete the electoral process for all local bodies before the end of the financial year on March 31. $Rs 450 crore for Zilla and Mandal dioceses. He said these funds could be withheld if local bodies remained without elected representatives after the stipulated period.
