ONGOLE: On the directions of the State Election Commission, the Panchayat Raj authorities in Prakasam district have accelerated the village panchayat-wise and ward-wise bifurcation of voter lists for Prakasam and the newly formed Markapuram district ahead of the proposed March–April panchayat elections.
With the gram panchayat councils’ tenure set to end on April 2, 2026, the Commission directed officials to complete the bifurcation and publish final voter lists by March 9.
Prakasam district has 519 gram panchayats, while Markapuram district has 406. During the general elections, urban and rural voters were included polling station-wise. For panchayat elections, authorities are now segregating voters panchayat-wise and ward-wise. Election notification was issued for 1,046 gram panchayats. District Panchayat Officer M Venkateswara Rao said “After thorough cross-verification, final panchayat-wise and ward-wise voter lists will be published on March 9.”