Andhra Pradesh: None dares contest from ‘jinxed’ ward in Buchempeta panchayat

KAKINADA: It may sound strange but not a single candidate, irrespective of his political affiliation, is coming forward to file nomination for the seventh ward member post in Buchempeta panchayat of Korukonda mandal in East Godavari district. Reason, villagers are of the false belief that whoever gets elected from the ward would lose his life. At least five sitting members, who were elected from the ward, had died since 1999, while the last one being the candidate who won unanimously in the 2013 panchayat elections.

Though a notification to fill up the vacant seventh ward member post was issued thrice, no one had come forward to file his nomination. The notification for the ward member post was first issued in February 2021 for the panchayat elections. When no one came forward to contest from the ‘jinxed’ ward, another notification was issued in March. But no nomination was filed. To fill up vacant sarpanch and ward member posts in panchayats and urban local bodies, the SEC had once again issued a notification. Once again, no nomination was received for the ward member post. 

Located 62 km away from the district headquarters Kakinada, Buchempeta panchayat has population of 2,657 and 2,000 voters. The number of electorate in the seventh ward is 201. Bele Someswara Rao was elected as the seventh ward member in 1999. Four months after his election, he died due to illness. After that, Sangana Gurrayya, Allam Deva, Sadu and Yenuganti Kondala Rao died one after the other after being elected as ward members. Kondala Rao who was elected unanimously in 2013, died in 2014. 

“Before contesting the election itself, my husband said if he dies after winning the seat, the seventh ward should be cancelled forever,” his wife Anantha Lakshmi told TNIE.  “Though he was hale and healthy, he suddenly fell ill and died, she said.T Jyothi, sarpanch of Buchempeta, said, “We don’t know the reasons behind the death of five ward members after winning the election.”