VIJAYAWADA: As many as 2,723 panchayats in the state are set to go to polls in the first phase on Tuesday. Elections will also be held to elect 20,157 ward members, a press release from the Panchayat Raj department said on Monday.For the first time, NOTA (non of the above) is being introduced in the panchayat elections, which will be held amid tight police security with Covid-19 guidelines in place.
Polling will begin from 6.30 am and go on till 3.30 pm while counting of votes will begin at 4 pm.
“All logistical arrangements are in place for the conduct of the first phase of Panchayat elections on Tuesday,’’ Principal Secretary (Panchayat Raj and Rural Development) Gopal Krishna Dwivedi said on Monday, and urged voters to exercise their franchise in an independent, free and fair manner.
Votes polled for the candidates will be counted and those who secure the highest number of votes will be declared winners, irrespective of the votes polled for NOTA.Addressing the media at the Panchayat Raj Commissionerate in Tadepalli near Vijayawada, Dwivedi said though elections were to be held for 3,249 posts of sarpanches, 525 had been unanimously elected, while no nomination was filed for Velicherla panchayat in Nellore district. Except for Vizianagaram, villages in the remaining 12 districts will go to polls in the first phase.
While 7,506 candidates are in the fray for the 2,723 sarpanch posts, 43,601 are contesting for 20,157 wards.The elections are being held using ballot paper and without any political party symbols. As many as 29,732 polling stations are set up, out of which 3,458 have been identified as sensitive and 3,594 hypersensitive.
Ballot boxes of three different sizes have been dispatched to the polling stations. Dwivedi added 1,130 stage-1 returning officers, 3,249 stage II returning officers, 1,432 assistant ROs, 33,533 presiding officers and 44,392 other government staff have been deployed on election duty.All necessary precautions are as per the coronavirus protocol in place amid tight security. PPE will be provided to infected voters, the official added.
Election chief, Buggana call on Governor
SEC Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar called on Governor Biswabushan Harichandan at Raj Bhavan on Monday to brief him about the measures being taken for the elections. Meanwhile, Finance Minister Buggana Rajendranth along with AG S Sriram and Principal Secretary (GAD) Praveen Prakash also met the Governor. They are learnt to have informed him about the privileges notice issued against the SEC