Telangana Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy said a state cabinet meeting will formally approve the proposal to conduct local body elections.
Published Jun 16, 2025 | 7:00 AM ⚊ Updated Jun 16, 2025 | 7:00 AM
People attending an election rally (X)
Synopsis: Telangana is gearing up for the Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituency (MPTC) and Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituency (ZPTC) elections. Telangana Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy announced that the schedule for the elections would be out by the end of this month.
After a prolonged delay, Telangana is gearing up for the Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituency (MPTC) and Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituency (ZPTC) polls, scheduled for July 2025.
These local body polls, pivotal to the state’s political landscape, will elect representatives for approximately 5,817 MPTC and 538 ZPTC seats across 33 districts.
Telangana Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy announced on Sunday, 15 June, that the schedule for the elections would be out by the end of this month, during a visit to the Khammam district.
The announcement sets the stage for a fierce contest among the ruling Congress, the opposition BRS, and the BJP.
According to Srinivasa Reddy, the state cabinet meeting on Monday will formally approve the proposal to conduct local body elections. The MPTC and ZPTC polls will precede the gram panchayat and municipal elections.
The Telangana State Election Commission (TSEC) is finalising logistics, voter lists, polling stations, and ballot papers. The TSEC is poised to act once the state government gives the green signal. With only 15 days left until the notification, political parties are likely to intensify their efforts to secure a foothold in Telangana’s grassroots governance.
Needless to say, the elections would be viewed as a referendum on the governance of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, who rode to power with the Congress winning a majority number of seats in the 2023 Assembly election and tucked away under its belt eight Lok Sabha seats in 2024.
The party is confident of dominating the elections, leveraging its dominance in central and southern Telangana and welfare schemes like Rythu Bharosa and Indiramma housing.
“Those with a high likelihood of winning, based on reservation criteria, will be selected to contest the elections,” Srinivasa Reddy said.
To ensure unity, Congress has urged party workers to resolve internal differences and work cohesively. The party’s push for a 42 percent reservation for Backward Classes (BCs) in local body elections, though pending a constitutional amendment, has resonated with BC voters.
The Congress government is setting the tone for victory. Next week, the government will disburse the financial aid to farmers under the Rythu Bharosa scheme, and local leaders are tasked with ensuring that beneficiaries access Indiramma housing approvals and oversee construction to earn public goodwill and bolster Congress’s electoral prospects.
The BRS, which swept the 2019 MPTC and ZPTC elections by securing all Zilla Parishads and most Mandal Parishads, approaches the 2025 polls with cautious optimism. Its micro-management tactics in 2019, including sequestering elected candidates to prevent poaching, gave it an edge.
However, losses in the 2023 Assembly and 2024 Lok Sabha elections, including high-profile defeats in Nizamabad and Karimnagar, have dented its credibility.
Under President K Chandrashekar Rao and Working President KT Rama Rao, BRS is focusing on rebuilding its rural base, banking on its legacy of rural development and irrigation projects. However, the party faces challenges from public fatigue over its decade-long rule and accusations of mismanagement.
To counter Congress’s welfare narrative and the BJP’s national appeal, BRS is focusing on the Congress government’s failure in the implementation of its promises.
The BJP, which struggled in the 2019 local body polls, is approaching the 2025 elections with renewed vigour, fuelled by gains in northern Telangana during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Targeting voters disillusioned with Congress and BRS, the party is leveraging Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s development agenda. The party’s advocacy for BC reservations is in tune with Congress’s narrative but is framed as a BJP-led central initiative.
Despite its urban strongholds like Karimnagar, the BJP’s limited rural cadre remains a challenge. By contesting independently, as in 2019, the party aims to establish a standalone presence, with even modest gains signalling growing influence in Telangana’s heartland.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
