KCR, TRS gearing up for panchayat elections

After his resounding victory in the Telangana Assembly elections, Telangana Rashtra Samiti chief K. Chandrasekhar Rao is getting the party and its cadre ready for elections to Panchayat Raj institutions in the state.

Elections to the Panchayat Raj institutions were held in the combined state of Andhra Pradesh in 2013, and the term of the elected bodies in Andhra and Telangana ended in August 2018.

The Hyderabad High Court on October 11, 2018, directed the Telangana government to conduct elections within three months, which will end on January 10, 2019.

Mr Rao on Wednesday told reporters that to conduct the elections to the Panchayat Raj institutions, which include Gram Panchayats, Mandal Territorial Constituencies (MPTC) Mandal Parishads, Zilla Territorial Constituencies (ZPTC) and Zilla Parishads, there has to be a government in place.

He said that he is prepared to initiate the process a day or two after assuming office as Chief Minister and complete it as soon as possible so that the state election commission can issue the election schedule. Otherwise, the government will have to face contempt proceedings.

He hopes to sweep the Lok Sabha elections scheduled for next year, leaving only the Hyderabad Lok Sabha seat to the AIMIM, a friendly party. Gearing up the party machinery for the Panchayati Raj polls will strengthen the party in the rural areas which will help the party in the general election.

The Chief Minister hopes gearing up the party machinery for the Panchayati Raj polls will strengthen the party in the rural areas which will help the party in the general election.