The counting of votes for the first phase of the Telangana Panchayat elections commenced soon after polling concluded at 1 PM on Thursday. Voting began at 7 AM, and all voters standing in queues before the deadline were allowed to cast their ballots. Elections were conducted for 3,834 Sarpanch positions and 27,628 ward member posts across the state. Among these, 396 Sarpanch seats and 9,633 ward member seats were declared unanimous, while several seats had no nominations or remained under court stay.
Officials began the counting process with postal ballots. Ballot papers for Sarpanch and ward members were first separated and tied into bundles of 25 before being arranged in trays for systematic counting. The procedure is underway across multiple counting centres, with strict adherence to election norms. The Election Commission has deployed additional personnel to ensure a smooth and transparent process.
Initial trends indicate a clear advantage for the Congress party in the early stages of counting. Congress is leading in 279 gram panchayats, while the BRS is ahead in 45, the BJP in 5, and other candidates in 61. Following the announcement of the Sarpanch and ward member results, elections for the Upa-Sarpanch posts will also be conducted later in the day with the participation of elected ward members.