VIJAYAWADA: Barring stray incidents of skirmishes between supporters of contesting candidates, the first phase of panchayat elections in 12 of the 13 districts of Andhra Pradesh are going on peacefully.
By 10.30 am, 34.28 percent of the electorate have exercised their franchise. No panchayat in Vizianagaram district is going for polls in the first phase.
Polling began at 2,723 panchayats from 6.30 am and old and young alike queued up at the polling centres from morning itself. Polling will be held till 3.30 am and counting of votes will commence from 4 pm. Polling in Maoist affected areas will end by 1.30 pm.
Kurnool recorded the highest poll percentage (by 10.30 am) with 45.85 per cent of the electorate casting their vote followed by 40.78 per cent in Visakhapatnam. Nellore district has recorded the lowest poll percentage of 26.72 per cent.
In Garikapadu of Kakumanu mandal of Guntur district, a polling agent suffered cardiac arrest while on poll duty and died before being shifted to a hospital.
Elections to gram panchayats in the State generated much heat with the State government and State Election Commissioner (SEC) Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar locking horns right from conduct of polls to declaring results of unanimous elections in Chittoor and Guntur districts.
The confrontation between the State government and SEC reached flash point when Ramesh Kumar ordered the Director General of Police to confine panchayat raj minister Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy to his residence till the completion of the fourth phase of polls on February 21. The order was later set aside by the High Court.