HYDERABAD: Local body elections in Telangana are unlikely to be held within the next three months, according to submissions made by the state government and the State Election Commission (SEC) before the Telangana High Court on Monday.
During the hearing of a batch of six writ petitions seeking directions to conduct elections to local bodies where the term of elected representatives ended on January 31, 2024, Additional Advocate General (AAG) Md Imran Khan informed the court that the government requires 30 days to finalise and announce reservations for Backward Classes (BCs) in local bodies, as per Supreme Court directives.
Senior counsel Sri Vidyasagar, representing the SEC, stated that elections would be held within 60 days of the completion of the BC reservation process by the government.
The AAG’s submission came in response to a query from Justice T Madhavi Devi, who sought to know by when the government intended to conduct elections to the gram panchayats.
The petitions were filed by former sarpanches challenging the appointment of Special Officers to oversee gram panchayats after the expiry of their terms.
Former sarpanches say delaying polls is illegal
The former sarpanches argued that the move violates Articles 243E and 243K of the Constitution and provisions of the Telangana Panchayat Raj Act, 2018. The petitioners contended that local body elections must be held within six months of the expiry of the elected body’s term, as mandated by the Constitution.
The former sarpanches also claimed that they had spent several lakhs from personal funds on developmental works in their respective villages on the assurance of reimbursement through the State Finance Commission. However, they alleged that these payments are still pending.
The batch includes a writ petition filed by Thokkala Anil Kumar, former sarpanch of Talveda gram panchayat in Nirmal district, along with WP Nos. 2406, 2410, 2413, 2661, and 2665 of 2024.
Following the submissions, Justice Madhavi Devi reserved her orders.