Hyderabad: The year 2025 is poised to witness a high-stakes political showdown in the state as the tenure of multiple local bodies comes to an end. With the term of the existing municipalities concluding on January 26, and the tenure of gram panchayats having ended this February, followed by those of zilla and mandal parishads in July, the state government is preparing for a series of elections.
It is planning to conduct local body elections in phases between January and March. Incidentally, they will coincide with elections to teacher MLC seats and one graduate MLC seat, which are slated for March.
The state Cabinet, in its scheduled meeting on December 30, is expected to finalise the election roadmap for these local bodies.
The term of incumbent MLCs, including Graduate MLC T. Jeevan Reddy (Congress) from the Nizamabad-Adilabad-Medak-Karimnagar constituency, and two Teacher MLCs — Alugubelli Narsi Reddy (Independent) from Nalgonda-Warangal-Khammam, and Kura Raghotham Reddy (PRTU) from Nizamabad-Adilabad-Medak-Karimnagar, will expire on March 29.
The Congress government is sparing no effort to secure these seats, towards which it is engaging with voters across seven of the ten undivided districts in Telangana.
The elections are widely seen as a referendum on the Congress government’s performance since assuming office in December 2023.
The last local body elections in 2019 resulted in an overwhelming victory for the then-ruling party BRS. However, the political dynamics have since shifted significantly. Over the past year, numerous district-level leaders and grassroots cadre have defected from the BRS to the Congress, altering the state’s political landscape.
The Congress is pinning hopes on its flagship farmer-centric welfare schemes to sway the rural electorate. The`21,000 crore crop loan waiver that has benefitted 23 lakh farmers is expected to resonate strongly with the rural populace.
The scheduled Sankranti launch of the Rythu Bharosa scheme will replace the BRS-initiated Rythu Bandhu. It promises Rs 15,000 per acre annually to farmers—an increase from the Rs 10,000 provided under Rythu Bandhu. Additionally, Rythu Bharosa will extend support to landless and tenant farmers with Rs 12,000 per year, a provision that did not exist earlier.
The Congress has also wooed paddy farmers by providing a bonus of Rs 500 per quintal for fine variety paddy during the kharif season. These initiatives are expected to tilt the rural vote bank in Congress’s favour, feel its leaders.
The elections will cover a vast demographic, with the state’s rural and urban electorate set to vote for ward members and sarpanches in 12,769 gram panchayats, 5,857 MPTCs (mandal parishad territorial constituencies) and 539 ZPTCs (zilla parishad territorial constituencies).
These elections are critical for the Congress, which recently marked its first anniversary in power on December 7.
As the BRS attempts to regain lost ground and BJP attempts to make inroads into rural areas, the Congress hopes that its pro-farmer schemes and grassroots mobilisation will consolidate its position ahead of these crucial elections.
