Voting is underway for the second phase of the Telangana Gram Panchayat elections.
Polling for the second phase of the Gram Panchayat elections in Telangana has commenced, with elections taking place for the positions of Sarpanch in 3,911 Gram Panchayats and for 29,917 ward members across 193 mandals. A total of 12,782 candidates are vying for Sarpanch positions, while 71,071 candidates are contesting for ward member seats. Approximately 57,22,465 voters are set to exercise their right to vote at 38,337 polling stations.
Polling will continue until 1 PM, with vote counting scheduled to begin at 2 PM, followed by the announcement of results. Subsequently, meetings will be conducted with the newly elected ward members to elect the Deputy Sarpanch.
For this election phase, notifications were issued for elections to 4,333 Gram Panchayat Sarpanch positions and 38,350 ward member roles. Notably, 415 Sarpanch and 8,307 ward positions were filled unanimously. In five villages and 108 wards, no nominations were submitted, while elections were suspended in two villages and 18 wards.
A total of 4,593 returning officers and 30,661 staff members are engaged in election duties, along with 2,489 election observers. The elections will utilise 40,626 ballot papers, and the process is being webcast from 3,769 polling stations identified as problematic.
