The first phase of the second ordinary elections to Telangana's gram panchayats started on December 11, 2025, with polling hours set from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. A total of 12,960 candidates are competing for 3,834 sarpanch posts, while 65,455 candidates vie for 27,628 ward member positions across the state.
The polling process for the first phase of Telangana's gram panchayat elections kicked off on Thursday morning, December 11, 2025. This phase covers 3,836 gram panchayats and 27,960 wards, following the notification of 4,236 gram panchayats and 37,440 wards initially. Unopposed elections saw 395 sarpanches and 9,331 ward members already declared winners, reducing the number of contested seats.
In total, 12,960 candidates are in the fray for the 3,834 sarpanch posts, and 65,455 candidates for the 27,628 ward member posts. More than 5.61 lakh voters are expected to participate in deciding the outcomes. Note that the source reports slight variations in the figures for contested gram panchayats (3,836) and sarpanch posts (3,834), as well as wards (27,960) and ward posts (27,628), but these reflect the official notifications after unopposed wins.
Vote counting is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. on the same day. District collectors, serving as district election authorities, along with general observers, are monitoring the process through webcasting at 3,461 polling stations. For instance, in Mahbubnagar district, the collector visited a polling station early in the morning to oversee operations.
These elections mark the second ordinary polls for Telangana's local bodies, emphasizing grassroots governance in rural areas.
