Village mergers in Sangareddy crush political aspirations ahead of rural elections

According to sources, the government is planning to hold rural body elections by March 15.
Aspiring to climb the political ladder, many aspirants for rural body elections now lament that they have lost their once-in-a-lifetime chance due to the merger of villages with towns.
Aspiring to climb the political ladder, many aspirants for rural body elections now lament that they have lost their once-in-a-lifetime chance due to the merger of villages with towns. Representative image
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SANGAREDDY: While elections are considered important for those aspiring to climb the political ladder, many aspirants for rural body elections now lament that they have lost their once-in-a-lifetime chance due to the merger of villages with towns.

Winning in panchayat and mandal parishad elections is considered easier than getting ward member or municipal chairman posts. It is to be noted that sarpanch candidates do not have to declare their party affiliations or even secure a ticket from any party to contest while the contrary is true for the municipal elections, forcing aspirants to side with one party or another, which can affect the outcome of the polls.

According to sources, the government is planning to hold rural body elections by March 15. Officials have already begun making arrangements in this regard. However, approximately 25 panchayats in the district will not hold sarpanch elections following recent administrative reorganisations. The state government recently elevated Kohir to municipality status, alongside Gummadidala, Isnapur and Gaddapotharam. A total of 11 villages were merged into these new municipalities.

In a similar move, Ilapur, Ilapur tanda, Dayara, Patelguda, Sultanpur and Kishtareddypet were incorporated into the existing Ameenpur municipality. Additionally, Khajipally, Madaram, Vavilala and Lakshmipathi Gudem were merged into the newly formed Gaddapotharam municipality. Annaram, Bonthapally, Veerannagudem and Domadugu were integrated into Gummadidala Municipality. Chitukul and Pasahamylaram were added to Isnapur Municipality. Kardanur, Muthangi, Pocharam and Patighanapur were included in Tellapur Municipality.

Following these mergers, only two villages remain in Tellapur mandal. The district panchayat officer has reportedly recommended merging these remaining villages into the municipality as well.

“The government has designated 11 villages — previously functioning as hamlets under panchayats — as special panchayats. Sangareddy district now comprises 633 villages across 27 mandals, with 276 MPTC members and 7,78,114 voters,” Janaki Reddy, CEO of the Zilla Parishad, told TNIE.

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