The Telangana State Election Commission has disqualified 12,745 candidates from contesting elections for three years.

The disqualification comes after the failure of these candidates to submit their final returns on election expenditure in the previous elections to gram panchayats (GP) in 2013 and subsequent MPTC/ZPTC polls in 2014. Of the disqualified members, nine are elected as sarpanches and 1,300 as ward members. The defeated sarpanch contestants, ward members and ZPTC/MPTC members comprised the rest of the disqualified candidates.

Telangana State Election Commissioner V. Nagi Reddy who notified the schedule of gram panchayat elections in three phases said candidates aspiring for the post of sarpanches should make security deposit of ₹2,000 while it would be ₹1,000 in respect of the candidates hailing from the reserved categories. The deposit amount would be ₹500 for ward members under general category and ₹250 for those in the reserved categories.

“The exemption will apply for reserved candidates who are contesting from the unreserved seats too,” he said. In addition to the symbols that would be allotted to the contesting candidates, the provision for None Of the Above (NOTA) would also be included in the ballot papers.

Replying to queries, he said since the Model Code of Conduct had come into effect., Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and his Cabinet colleagues or representatives of the party in power should not make any forward looking statements during the election period. “There will be no restriction on the Chief Minister’s visits. There should not be any policy related announcements during the election period,” he said.