Gram Panchayat polls: 2.41 lakh voters to cast vote in first phase in Khammam

Around 2.41 lakh voters are set to cast their vote in the first phase gram panchayat elections in Khammam and Kothagudem districts. Election authorities have deployed staff, arranged ballot boxes and set up webcasting at sensitive polling stations to ensure smooth polling.

Khammam: Arrangements were in place for the first phase gram panchayat elections in Khammam, and 2.41 lakh voters would cast their vote, informed district Collector Anudeep Durishetty.

Elections would be held for sarpanch seats in 172 GP and for 1,415 wards. Of the 2.41 lakh voters, 1.16 lakh were male voters, 1.24 lakh were women voters and 10 were transgender voters. A total of 488 candidates were in the fray for the sarpanch election and 3,424 candidates were in the fray in 1,415 wards.

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A total of 2,089 ballot boxes have been made available in the district. As many as 1,899 polling officers and 2,321 other polling officers have been appointed. Seven distribution centres and seven reception centres have been set up, the Collector said.

Thirty six problematic polling station locations have been identified, webcasting arrangements have been made in 360 critical polling centres and micro observers have been appointed in 162 sensitive centres.

Kothagudem district Collector Jitesh V Patil said that elections would be held for 159 gram panchayats in Manugur, Aswapuram, Burgampahad, Bhadrachalam, Pinapaka, Cherla and Karakugudam mandals in the first phase.

He said that 1,713 polling officers and 2,295 staff have been appointed for the conduct of the elections at 1,428 polling stations. Webcasting would be done at problematic polling stations and a control room was set up in the IDOC office to monitor polling activities.