Elections in Telangana

Telangana has a parliamentary system as defined by its constitution, with power distributed between the state government and the districts.

The Governor of Telangana is the ceremonial head of the state. However, it is the Chief Minister of Telangana who is the leader of the party or political alliance having a majority in the state elections to the Telangana Legislative Assembly. The chief minister is the leader of the executive branch of the government of Telangana. The chief minister is the chief adviser to the governor of Telangana and the head of the state council of ministers.

Elections in Telangana are conducted every five years to elect members to the Telangana Legislative Assembly and members of parliament to the Lok Sabha. There are 119 assembly constituencies and 17 Lok Sabha constituencies. The state has conducted 3 assembly elections and 2 Lok Sabha elections since independence.

Elections
The Telangana State Election Commission is the federal body of Telangana that is enacted under the provisions of the Constitution and is responsible for monitoring and administering all the electoral processes in Telangana. This body is responsible for ensuring elections are free and fair, without any bias.

Elections ensure the conduct of members pre-elections, during elections, and post-elections is as per statutory legislation.

All election-related disputes are handled by the Election Commission. The Telangana High Court has held that where the enacted laws are silent or make insufficient provisions to deal with a given situation in the conduct of elections, the Election Commission has the residuary powers under the Constitution to act as appropriate.

Types of elections
Elections in Telangana include elections for:
 * Members of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha (Upper House)
 * Members of Parliament in the Lok Sabha (Lower House)
 * Members of the Telangana Legislative Assembly
 * Members of local governance bodies (municipal bodies and panchayats)
 * A by-election is held when the seat-holder of a particular constituency dies, resigns, or is disqualified.

Rajya Sabha elections
Members of parliament in the Rajya Sabha (House of the State) from Telangana are not directly elected by being voted upon by all adult citizens of the state but by the members of the Telangana Legislative Assembly. Candidates who win the Rajya Sabha elections are called "Members of Parliament" and hold their seats for six years. The house meets in the Rajya Sabha Chamber of the Sansad Bhavan in New Delhi on matters relating to the creation of new laws or removing or improving the existing laws that affect all citizens of India. Elections take place to elect 7 members from Telangana.

LokSabha elections
Telangana has 17 Lok Sabha constituencies, with 3 reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC) and 2 for Scheduled Tribes (ST), where electors participate in direct elections to choose their preferred candidates for the position of Member of Parliament (MP). The state has witnessed a total of two elections till date.

Legislative Council elections
Members of the Telangana Legislative Council (Upper House of the Telangana Legislature) are not directly elected. Elections take place to elect 40 members, of whom 14 were elected by members of the Telangana Legislative Assembly, 14 were elected by the local authorities of the state, 6 were nominated by the governor, 3 were elected by teachers of the state, and 3 were elected by graduates of the state. Candidates who win the Telangana Legislative Council elections are called "Members of the Legislative Council" and hold their seats for six years. The house meets in the Council Chamber of the Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Telangana State Secretariat in Hyderabad on matters relating to the creation of new laws or removing or improving the existing laws that affect all citizens of Telangana.

Legislative Assembly elections
Members of the Telangana Legislative Assembly (Lower House of the Telangana Legislature) are directly elected by being voted upon by all adult citizens of the state from a set of candidates who stand in their respective constituencies. Every adult citizen of Telangana can vote only in their constituency. Candidates who win the legislative assembly elections are called "Members of the Legislative Assembly" and hold their seats for five years or until the body is dissolved by the governor of Telangana on the advice of the council of ministers. The house meets in the Assembly Chamber of the Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Telangana State Secretariat in Hyderabad on matters relating to the creation of new laws or removing or improving the existing laws that affect all citizens of Telangana. Elections take place once every five years to elect 119 members to the legislative assembly. The leader of the majority party or alliance takes the oath as chief minister of Telangana.

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 * 2023 Telangana assembly election result.svg)]]

By-election
When an elected candidate to either the Rajya Sabha, Lok Sabha, or Telangana Legislative Assembly leaves the office vacant before their term ends, a by-election is conducted to find a suitable replacement to fill the vacant position. It is often referred to as by-polls.

Common reasons for by-elections:
 * Resignation of the sitting M.P. or an M.L.A.
 * Death of the sitting M.P. or an M.L.A.

But other reasons occur when the incumbent is disqualified for being ineligible to continue in office (criminal conviction, failure to maintain a minimum level of attendance in the office due to election irregularities found later, or when a candidate wins more than one seat and has to vacate one).