EC gets into act; begins preps for GP polls in Telangana

Hyderabad: The State Election Commission (SEC) has officially initiated preparations for the Gram Panchayat elections across the state. On Wednesday, the SEC announced the schedule for the final publication of electoral rolls in all Gram Panchayats (GPs).

The Commission had previously issued a notification for the preparation and publication of ward-wise rolls, adopting the ECI's voter list (ACER) published on July 1, 2025, as the qualifying date. As per the existing schedule, the final ward-wise Gram Panchayat Electoral Rolls (GPERs) were successfully published on September 2, 2025, after rearranging the voter lists by GP, ward, and polling station, in compliance with Section 11(4) of the Telangana Panchayat Raj Act, 2018. These GPERs were also made available on the SEC's official web portal.

Now, with the SEC contemplating the conduct of the second ordinary elections to Gram Panchayats shortly, urgent action has been directed. The Commission has instructed District Panchayat Officers (DPOs) to thoroughly examine the electoral rolls and to rectify any mis-mappings immediately. They are also required to re-arrange and republish the photo electoral rolls of the Gram Panchayats according to a compressed schedule.

As per the latest notification, the Commission will receive individual applications from voters, or act suo moto, to rectify mis-mappings of GPs/Wards without implementing any changes to the fundamental voter list published on September 2, 2025. This critical rectification window will close by Thursday.

The DPOs concerned must complete the disposal of all received requests and objections by November 22. The final re-publication of the photo electoral rolls, specifically for respective Gram Panchayats where valid changes were carried out—duly indicating the correct GP/Ward/Division—will be completed by the District Panchayat Officers by November 23. Concurrently, the republication of polling stations, incorporating the changed voter strength, must also be completed by November 23. The notification explicitly states that DPOs should re-publish the final photo electoral lists by carrying out the valid changes manually, ensuring accuracy before the polls.