Panchayat elections in Telangana are approaching fast, scheduled in three phases on December 11, 14 and 17. The polls were pending for two years, and you can see strong enthusiasm at the village level as voting draws near.
In several panchayats, villagers are selecting sarpanches through auctions based on collective decisions. In Hanwada mandal of Mahbubnagar’s Tankara village, the sarpanch post was auctioned for Rs 1 crore, drawing wide attention.
Similar auctions were held in Doddipally in Nawabpet mandal, Mittadoddi in Gattu mandal of Jogulamba Gadwal, and also in Gorlakhandoddi, Kondapuram, Lingapally, Veerapuram and Nalladevunipally. Sarpanches were finalised in each of these villages through this method.
Meanwhile, in CM Revanth Reddy’s native village, the selection happened without any contest. Kondareddypally in Vangur mandal, Nagarkurnool district was reserved for an SC candidate, and villagers unanimously chose Mallepakula Venkataiah as sarpanch.
The village also agreed to field a single candidate for ward elections. As a result, the sarpanch of the CM’s village stands confirmed even before the official polling process begins.
