As the nomination process for the first phase concludes, a clear and pressing agenda is shaping the campaign trail for the upcoming gram panchayat elections across Telangana. Contrary to the typical political narrative centered on state-level welfare schemes, the electorate in villages is compelling candidates to focus squarely on unresolved local civic problems.
Welfare Schemes Take a Backseat
Major political parties, including the Congress, BRS, and BJP, along with communist MLAs and ministers, have backed their supporters to file nominations for sarpanch and ward member posts. However, a significant shift in campaigning style is evident. Senior leaders and the majority of MLAs from respective constituencies are conspicuously absent from the villages, opting to monitor the situation via teleconferences instead.
This strategic distance is widely seen as a move to avoid direct confrontation over unsolved local issues that have become the central theme of this election cycle. While candidates do mention welfare schemes—Congress representatives highlight free bus services for women, loan waivers, and Indiramma houses, while BRS leaders talk about Kalyana Lakshmi—voters are demonstrating a clear preference for tangible, on-the-ground solutions.
Door-to-Door Campaigns Focus on Grassroots Problems
Candidates have largely adopted a door-to-door canvassing approach, directly engaging with voters whose priorities are starkly practical. The promises of grand state schemes are being met with demands for basic amenities.
For instance, in villages under the Veldurthy panchayat of Narayankhed mandal in Medak, the primary demand is the improvement of battered roads connecting to the mandal and district headquarters. Residents also point to damaged roads that link the state with Karnataka. Beyond connectivity, other critical issues are rising to the fore.
"Some are asking for sports facilities and other amenities in government schools," said Singapuram Srinivas, a resident of Veldurthy mandal. The concerns extend to healthcare, with villages reporting significant issues with medical facilities and the acute shortage of medical staff in local hospitals.
A Public Declaration of Priorities
The public sentiment is perhaps most vividly captured in places like Gandhi Nagar in Husnabad mandal. Here, residents have erected a flexi banner sending an unambiguous message to all candidates. The declaration states that they do not want money for their votes but will instead support those candidates who commit to addressing the long-pending issues of their community.
This grassroots insistence on development over patronage marks a distinct evolution in the rural political discourse of Telangana. The gram panchayat polls are transforming into a direct referendum on the quality of local governance and infrastructure, setting a challenging agenda for the winning candidates who will need to deliver on these hyper-local promises once elected.
