- Villagers vote for deceased BRS supported candidate in Chintala Tana
- Election officials review rules after crediting win to dead candidate
Hyderabad: A dead candidate has won a Telangana sarpanch election in a rare and widely discussed incident reported from Rajanna Sircilla district. Cherla Murali, also referred to as Charla or Varla Murali, secured the win from Chintala Tana village in Vemulawada. He passed away on December 5 following a sudden heart attack, just hours after submitting his nomination papers. However, polling continued as planned and later produced this unusual result.
Officials had already completed the ballot printing process before Murali’s death. Therefore, his name stayed on the ballot because election authorities could not change or reprint the papers at that stage. This administrative limitation meant that villagers still saw his name when they cast their votes. Meanwhile, the situation created an emotional environment across the village as residents remembered Murali’s sudden passing.
Many villagers voted for him as a tribute. They expressed their respect by choosing his name despite knowing he had died days earlier. Reports said he secured over 700 votes and defeated his nearest opponent by around 378 votes. Sympathy, loyalty, and a desire to honour him appeared to influence the voting pattern. Therefore, his victory gained statewide attention and sparked discussions on the legal and emotional aspects of rural elections.
Multiple reports identified Murali as a BRS supported candidate. He had been actively campaigning with party backing until his unexpected death. Local residents recalled his presence in the village in the hours before he suffered the heart attack. Later, the symbolic nature of the vote added to the significance of the result.
Election officials have withheld the final declaration. They are now examining the relevant panchayat election rules to decide the next step. They said they must follow legal procedures before issuing any official confirmation. The review is underway because the elected candidate is no longer alive, and authorities must determine how the law addresses such an outcome.
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