Telangana, Jharkhand announce civic polls dates; voting in February

Hyderabad/ Ranchi: State election authorities in Telangana and Jharkhand on Tuesday announced schedules for long-awaited civic body polls, setting the stage for single-phase elections in both states next month.

In Telangana, the State Election Commission said municipal elections will be held on February 11 for seven municipal corporations and 116 municipalities. State Election Commissioner I Rani Kumudini said the election notification will be issued on January 28, with the nomination process beginning the same day. The deadline for filing nominations is January 31, while the final list of candidates, after scrutiny and withdrawals, will be released on February 3.

Polling will take place on February 11 across 2,996 wards, and counting of votes is scheduled for February 13, with results to be declared soon after. The electorate comprises 52.43 lakh voters, including 25.62 lakh men, 26.8 lakh women and 640 voters in other categories. Kumudini urged voters to turn out in large numbers. The announcement follows a Telangana Cabinet decision on January 18 to conduct municipal and corporation elections at the earliest. Gram panchayat elections in the state were held in December last year.

Jharkhand civic polls on Feb 23

Meanwhile, the Jharkhand State Election Commission announced that civic polls to 48 urban local bodies, including the Ranchi Municipal Corporation, will be conducted in a single phase on February 23. Counting of votes will take place on February 27, State Election Commissioner Alka Tiwari said while issuing the notification.

The nomination process will begin on January 29 and remain open until February 4. Scrutiny of nominations will take place on February 5, while candidates can withdraw their papers till February 6. As civic elections in Jharkhand are not fought on official party symbols, they will be allotted symbols on February 7.

More than 43.33 lakh voters, including 21.26 lakh women, are eligible to vote in the polls for 1,087 wards across nine municipal corporations, 20 nagar parishads and 19 nagar panchayats.

The polls have been pending for nearly three years, with all urban local bodies currently under administrative control. The delay had drawn strong criticism from the Jharkhand High Court, prompting the commission to submit a timeline in November 2025, committing to complete formalities and issue the election notification within eight weeks.

PTI inputs