3rd phase of PR polls today, all eyes on Kuppam

VIJAYAWADA: The third phase of panchayat elections to elect more than 2,600 sarpanches will be held in the State on Wednesday. The third phase assumes significance as 59 panchayats under the Kuppam constituency represented by Opposition Leader N Chandrababu Naidu and Uravakonda represented by TDP MLA P Keshav will go for polls.

All necessary arrangements have been made for the smooth conduct of the elections, by following Covid guidelines. As many as 55,75,004 voters will exercise their franchise. All the COVID positive patients will be allowed to cast their vote in the last hour of the polling by taking safety measures.

The polling will commence at 6.30 am and will go on till 3.30 pm. However, in Maoist-affected areas, polling will come to an end by 1.30 pm. Counting of votes will start from 4 pm and majority of the results are expected to be out by night.

Principal Secretary (Panchayat Raj and Rural Development) Gopala Krishna Dwivedi, in a statement issued on Tuesday, said that 579 out of 3,221 sarpanches and 11,753 of the 31,516 ward members were unanimously elected in the third phase of elections scheduled in 20 revenue divisions and 160 mandals of 13 districts.

Out of the total 2,642 posts of Sarpanches that were scheduled to go for elections, no nominations were filed for one post  each in Visakhapatnam, West Godavari and Prakasam districts. With this, 2,639 sarpanch posts are up for grabs for which 7,757 candidates are contesting. Out of the 19,763 ward member seats, no nominations were filed in 210 wards and 43,162 candidates are contesting for 19,553 ward member posts.