Govt Pushes Panel To Hold Civic Polls in Feb.
Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has directed chief secretary K. Ramakrishna Rao to formally inform the commission that the government is prepared to extend full support — manpower, administrative machinery, police force and election material — for smooth conduct of the elections.
Hyderabad: The state government has pressed the Telangana State Election Commission (TSEC) to issue notification for municipal elections in the third week of January, preferably around Sankranthi, so that polls to 117 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) can be conducted in February.
Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has directed chief secretary K. Ramakrishna Rao to formally inform the commission that the government is prepared to extend full support — manpower, administrative machinery, police force and election material — for smooth conduct of the elections.
Municipal polls, contested on party lines, carry political weight as they follow the gram panchayat elections held in three phases last December. Though officially non-party, candidates were backed by major formations. The ruling Congress has claimed victory in about 66 per cent of the panchayats, a result it believes gives momentum heading into the ULB polls.
According to sources, the schedule is broadly ready, with notification expected anytime after January 11. The TSEC released the draft voters’ list on January 1 and will publish the final rolls on January 10. Meanwhile, the Municipal administration and Urban Development department, held by the Chief Minister himself, has begun preparatory work to ensure subsequent stages proceed without disruption.
Elections will cover 117 municipalities whose elected bodies completed tenure in July 2025. At present, 120 municipalities and nine corporations are under special officers. Khammam and Warangal corporations, along with two municipalities in Mahabubnagar and Nalgonda, may be exempted as their terms run until April. The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation’s tenure ends on February 10, while some others extend until May.
The TSEC has instructed municipal commissioners, district collectors and the principal secretary of the Municipal Administration Department to publish ward-wise voters’ lists for 117 municipalities and six corporations. Reorganisation of polling stations and identification of new ones will follow later this month, based on rolls provided by the Election Commission of India.
Ahead of the polls, the government released ₹2,780 crore in October 2025 for development works in ULBs, excluding GHMC. These funds will support 2,432 projects. Newly formed municipalities have been allotted ₹15 crore each, expanded municipalities ₹20 crore, and newly created corporations ₹30 crore each.