Border Villages Hold Dual Voting Rights in Telangana and Maharashtra

In villages in Telangana, each gram panchayat elects a single sarpanch. But in some rare border villages, residents live under a unique dual rule model with two sarpanches and dual voting rights.

This unusual situation exists in 12 disputed villages that fall under the limits of Parandoli, Mukadamguda, Anthapur and Bolapatar gram panchayats in Kerameri mandal of Kumuram Bheem district. The villages are located on the Telangana-Maharashtra border, where jurisdictional disputes remain unresolved.

Under directives from the Supreme Court decades ago, residents here were allowed to vote in both states (from gram panchayat polls to parliamentary elections) until the boundary dispute was fully resolved. As a result, every eligible voter in these villages has two voter ID cards, one issued by Telangana and the other by Maharashtra.

Campaigning is in full swing in Telangana when gram panchayat elections are scheduled to be held on the 11th of this month. A total of 3,456 voters fall under the four affected panchayats. Interestingly, candidates who fail to win in the Telangana panchayat polls may still contest in the Maharashtra gram panchayat elections, which are expected to take place in about four months, keeping political activity alive on both sides of the border.