In Hyderabad today, Telangana’s Congress chief Mahesh Kumar Goud said the state will stick to the planned schedule for rural local‑body elections. The State Election Commission is expected to issue its first notice on Thursday, opening nominations for Zilla Parishad (ZPTC) and Mandal Parishad (MPTC) constituencies.
The first voting round is set for October 23. The plan is to hold five phases of voting from late‑October through early‑November. MPTC and ZPTC polls will take place on October 23 and 27, while Gram Panchayat elections run across three dates: October 31, November 4 and November 8. In all, 565 mandals and 31 districts will see elections for 565 ZPTCs, 5,749 MPTCs, 12,733 gram panchayats and 112,288 ward seats. Nearly 1.67 million voters will cast ballots, with ZPTC and MPTC results counted on November 11 and gram panchayat results sealed after voting.
A hurdle emerged when two petitions were filed in the High Court, challenging the 42 percent reservation for Backward Classes (BCs) that the government has in place for these seats. The court heard the petitions and set a hearing for Thursday afternoon. Petitioners asked for a halt to the elections, but the court denied a stay and scheduled a follow‑up on 2.15 p.m. That means the nomination process should begin on time, Goud said.
“We have strong legal backing for the BC reservation,” Goud told reporters. “The most recent caste survey—after 90 years—justifies the 42 percent quota, and we expect the High Court to uphold the order.” He accused BJP and BRS of trying to erase that entitlement and called the Congress “strong on the BC reservation.”
Goud remains upbeat about the party’s prospects, claiming Congress could win 90 percent of the local bodies. The elections will decide leadership for rural communities, and the results will shape policies from the district to the village level.
Source: ianslive
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