VIJAYAWADA: The YSRC swept the fourth phase of panchayat elections held on Sunday by wresting 2,291 of the total 2,844 sarpanch seat results announced till late night. It was a clean sweep by the YSRC-backed candidates in all panchayats in Pulivendula, the constituency represented by Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. The YSRC won all the 108 panchayats in Pulivendula segment for which elections were held of the total 109. About 90 of YSRC-backed candidates were elected unopposed. Elections were held to 18 panchayats and the YSRC supported candidates won all of them. The YSRC bagged more than 80 per cent of seats in the first three phases of elections and it repeated the performance in the fourth phase too.
The ruling YSRC won more than 9,300 panchayats of the total 11,500-odd seat results declared. It secured a massive mandate in almost all the districts, particularly in Kadapa, Nellore, Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, East and West Godavari. It swept the polls both in Rayalaseema and Coastal Andhra districts. The TDP remained at a far distant second place with just 1,900-odd seats in its kitty. The BJP-Jana Sena Party combine won over 120 panchayats while others, including YSRC rebels, secured more than 250 seats.The panchayat elections witnessed high drama with the ruling YSRC forced into a ‘confrontation’ with the State Election Commission right from the day one and on several occasions, legal recourse had to be taken.
According to the State Election Commission (SEC), 82.85 per cent of voters exercised their franchise in the fourth phase and the overall polling in the four phases stood at 81.76 per cent. In what the ruling YSRC termed a one-sided panchayat elections, the Opposition TDP received a drubbing in almost all the districts barring Guntur and Krishna.
Chittoor, the native district of TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu, was no exception as the party suffered a humiliating defeat in Kuppam constituency, home turf of Naidu, by securing just 14 of the total 89 panchayats that went to polls.
Not just Kuppam, the TDP could not put up an impressive show in several constituencies held by its senior leaders like Yanamala Ramakrishnudu (Tuni) and Devineni Uma Maheswara Rao (Mylavaram) earlier.
Responding to the victory of the party in the panchayat elections, YSRC general secretary Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy said it was a positive vote to the party and people gave their mandate to the State government for implementing a plethora of welfare schemes benefitting all sections of people.
“Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy has one point agenda in his governance, which is the welfare of people and resolving their problems. People have given their verdict in favour of the Chief Minister’s agenda,’’ Ramakrishna Reddy said. YSRC leaders are confident that the party will also sweep the upcoming elections to urban local bodies and MPTCs and ZPTCs, which will be held on party basis.
‘CM’s welfare agenda wins’
CM Jagan Mohan Reddy has one point agenda in his governance, which is the welfare of people and solving their problems. People have given their verdict in favour of the CM’s agenda,’’ said YSRC general secretary Sajjala Ramakrishna
‘YSRC will bag ULBs too’
After the landslide in panchayat polls, YSRC leaders exuded confidence that the party will also make a clean sweep in the upcoming elections to urban local bodies and MPTCs and ZPTCs in the State as the Jagan Mohan Reddy government won people’s trust
Jana Sena seeks fresh notification
Jana Sena party president Pawan Kalyan on Sunday, through the media, requested State Election Commissioner Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar to issue a fresh notification for MPTC and ZPTC elections. He said his party is taking a legal recourse for the same. He said large-scale irregularities had taken place in the process of nominations before the Corona pandemic. “Many of our leaders had been threatened and prevented from filing nomination papers,” he alleged.
YSRC activist dies in scuffle in Kadapa
A YSRC party activist died in a clash between YSRC and TDP workers at Brahmamgari Mattam in Kadapa district on Sunday. The deceased was identified as Y Bhaskar Reddy. TDP candidate Duggireddy approached the district collector to lodge a complaint that he was forced to withdraw nomination. Bhaskar Reddy, a relative of YSRC candidate Ramagovind Reddy, got into a heated argument with Duggireddy and in a short time it escalated into a scuffle
115-year-old voter gets warm welcome
115-year-old Sk Nanbe exercised her franchise in the 4th phase of panchayat elections at a polling booth at Davajigudem in Krishna district on Sunday
District Collector A Md Imtiaz met her and commended the efforts of the centurion for taking all the efforts to reach the polling booth for exercising her right to vote
Nanbe said that she exercised her franchise in all the elections and called upon young voters to participate in the poll process
to elect capable candidates