Final phase of gram panchayat polls underway across Telangana

Polling for the third and final phase of gram panchayat elections began across Telangana on Wednesday, with voting underway in 3,752 villages to decide Sarpanch and ward member posts amid tight security and extensive election arrangements.

Hyderabad: Polling for the third and final phase of the panchayat elections began at 7 am on Wednesday. Voting will continue till 1 pm across 31 districts, with a large electorate and an intense contest to decide the fate of 3,752 gram panchayats.

Earlier, elections have been held for over 8,000 gram panchayats in first and second phases. While the ruling Congress had won around 4,500 panchayats, the main opposition BRS clinched nearly 3,500 panchayats.

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In this third phase, 12,652 candidates are in the fray for 3,752 Sarpanch posts, while 75,725 candidates are contesting for 28,410 ward member positions. The State Election Commission (SEC) has set up 36,483 polling stations to facilitate voting.

The SEC had issued notifications for elections in 4,159 gram panchayats. However, 394 gram panchayats were elected unanimously, polls were stalled in two villages following High Court orders, and no nominations were filed in 11 gram panchayats. As a result, polling is being held in 3,752 villages.

The electorate in this phase stands at 53,06,401 voters, comprising 26,01,861 men, 27,04,394 women, and 140 others. Of the 36,452 ward member seats notified, 7,908 were elected unanimously, elections were stopped in 18 wards, and nominations were not received for 116 wards.

To ensure smooth conduct, 43,856 ballot boxes are being deployed, while webcasting is underway at 3,547 polling stations for enhanced transparency and monitoring.