Telangana State Election Commission is set to issue the first notification for elections to the rural local bodies today, as scheduled. There was a dilemma over the issuance of the notification following the cases filed against the 42 per cent reservation to Backwards Class communities in local bodies. The petitioners alleged that the government’s decision was against the Constitutional principles as well as the Supreme Court’s judgment capping the overall reservations at 50 per cent. Telangana High Court took up hearing on the petitions yesterday but refused to stay the election process, which was set in motion by the TSEC. Accordingly, the State Election Commission has decided to go ahead with the process. Elections to ZPTCs (Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituency), MPTCs (Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituency) and gram panchayats will be held in a total of five phases, and the notification for the first phase of polls will be issued later today. Elections will be held for the posts of 565 ZPTCs, 5,749 MPTCs, 12,733 sarpanches and 1.12 lakh ward members across the State. Polls for ZPTCs and MPTCs, to be contested on political symbols, will be held in two phases on October 23 and 27. For the posts at the gram Panchayat level, elections will be held in three phases on October 30, November 4 and 8. Counting of the votes cast for the ZPTC and MPTC polls will be held on November 11.