Hyderabad, Dec.2 (RAHNUMA): The Forum for Good Governance (FGG) has raised serious concerns over the ongoing Gram Panchayat elections in Telangana, alleging that several “unanimous” results are being engineered through ‘auctioning’ of posts, coercion, inducements and forced withdrawals.
Addressing a press conference at Somajiguda Press Club here on Tuesday, Forum president M Padmanabha Reddy said that although Panchayat elections are meant to be non-party based, they are effectively being fought on party lines. While welcoming the State Election Commission’s Circular 1077, he said that it falls short in curbing unconstitutional unanimous elections. He placed two key demands to the commission which included – Count and announce results for all three polling phases on December 17, 2025 to prevent phase-wise influence; Keep all unopposed wins in abeyance for a week, order inquiries by senior officers, and countermand elections where irregularities like auctions or coercion are detected.
Former IAS officer R.V. Chandravadan said political influence has turned Sarpanch elections partisan, stressing that unanimous results must reflect ‘genuine public will’. Another former IAS officer Dr. M.V. Reddy warned that auctioning Sarpanch posts is a “dangerous blow to democracy”, excluding the poor from contesting.
Forum speakers, including T. Vivek and secretary Soma Srinivas Reddy urged the educated youth to enter local body politics, cautioning that those who ‘buy’ posts often fail to serve public interest.
