Published Jan 24, 2026 | 10:17 AM ⚊ Updated Jan 24, 2026 | 10:17 AM
The elections, covering 117 municipalities and six municipal corporations—leaving out the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation—are set to be a political litmus test.
Synopsis: The final polling station-wise rolls were published on 10 January. This cleared the decks for the announcement of the election schedule for around 2,996 wards across 123 urban local bodies, with an electorate crossing 52 lakh.
Political parties in Telangana have shifted to poll mode once again as the State Election Commission (SEC) is set to notify the municipal elections shortly.
With the Cabinet on 18 January giving the green signal for holding the polls in February, the notification is expected anytime after Friday, 23 January.
The elections, covering 117 municipalities and six municipal corporations—leaving out the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation—are set to be a political litmus test. They come in the backdrop of the Congress’s strong showing in the recent gram panchayat polls and the BRS’s limited resurgence.
The SEC has been working overtime since late December 2025. On 29 December, it notified the schedule for preparing and publishing electoral rolls for 117 municipalities and six corporations.
The final polling station-wise rolls were published on 10 January. This cleared the decks for the announcement of the election schedule for around 2,996 wards across 123 urban local bodies (ULBs), with an electorate crossing 52 lakh.
Reservations for wards, chairpersons and mayors were finalised on 13 January, in line with G.O.Ms.No.14, incorporating quotas for SCs, STs, BCs and women. The government has earmarked resources for logistics, polling materials and security to ensure smooth conduct, even as the process coincides with festival days like Sankranti.
Politically, the elections will be a high-voltage battle.
The ruling Congress, led by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, is riding high on its gram panchayat performance and is pitching the municipal polls as a referendum on its development agenda.
Revanth Reddy has already hit the ground running, addressing rallies and holding preparatory meetings across districts. Speaking at a TPCC executive meeting in Hyderabad on 8 January, he set an ambitious tone.
“The Congress should win all municipalities and municipal corporations that will go to the polls shortly,” he declared. Citing the party’s rising vote share, he urged leaders to maintain discipline and replicate rural gains in urban centres.
The campaign gathered steam in mid-January. Addressing a meeting in Nirmal on 16 January, Reddy appealed directly to voters.
“Vote for development in the upcoming municipal elections,” he said.
Reddy underlined his willingness to work even with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, if required, for the state’s progress, while launching a broadside against the BRS for what he termed past failures.
Earlier, on 12 January, the chief minister sounded confident of a sweep.
“Recent electoral trends clearly indicate growing public support for Congress. Its vote share has been on a steady upward trajectory,” he remarked.
The party has appointed ministers as in-charges of parliamentary constituencies to supervise campaigns, while screening committees have begun shortlisting candidates.
Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy added spice to the contest on 13 January, taunting the BRS to brace for a “fourth shock” after defeats in the Assembly, Lok Sabha and panchayat polls.
The BRS, smarting from recent setbacks, has switched to full election mode, seeing the municipal polls as a chance for redemption.
Its working president, KT Rama Rao, has been holding district-level meetings, including one in Karimnagar on 9 January, where he urged party leaders to draw inspiration from the panchayat results and push hard for victory.
On 11 January, KTR struck a combative note. “Urban voters will teach Congress a strong lesson in the upcoming municipal elections,” he said, accusing the ruling party of pushing towns into crisis.
Dismissing the BJP as “no alternative to Congress,” he framed the battle squarely as BRS versus Congress.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), keen to expand its urban footprint, is also stepping up the tempo.
State president N Ramchander Rao, on 18 January, said the party was fully prepared for the municipal polls expected in February. He pointed to the BJP’s performance in panchayat elections, claiming that BJP-backed candidates won around 1,000 sarpanch posts.
Clarifying the party’s stand on 13 January, Rao said the BJP would go it alone.
“The BJP has emerged as an alternative political force in Telangana and needs no alliance,” he asserted, even as Jana Sena’s entry threatens to split votes.
Union Minister G Kishan Reddy, addressing the Vijay Sankalp Sabha in Secunderabad on 17 January, trained his guns on both the BRS and Congress.
“Both have deceived the people with fake promises, failed governance and poor delivery,” he charged.
The municipal polls could redraw Telangana’s political map. For the Congress, a strong showing would cement its urban foothold after rural gains, though any slippage on its much-touted guarantees could boomerang.
For the BRS, still out of power, failure to reclaim its pre-2023 urban bastions could deepen its woes. The BJP’s solo push is aimed at expansion, but uncertainties around potential alliances, including with Jana Sena or the TDP, linger.
With the notification set to be issued soon, focus is on the urban voter, widely seen as one who could make or mar the prospects of any party in the high-octane electoral combat.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
