Andhra Pradesh’s ruling YSR Congress party has bagged the majority of the gram panchayats that voted in the first phase of elections held on Tuesday, according to a senior party leader.
Senior YSR Congress party leader and state minister for municipal administration Botsa Satyanarayana told reporters late on Tuesday that the ruling YSRC had bagged 91-92% of the sarpanch and ward member posts in the first phase of gram panchayat polls.
Elections were held on Tuesday for 2,723 sarpanch posts and 20,157 ward members in 12 districts of the state excluding 526 gram panchayats, where only single nominations were filed leading to unopposed victories for the lone candidates.
Though the panchayat elections are held on a non-party basis, without any party symbols, the candidates openly flaunted their political affiliations during the campaign.
State election commissioner (SEC) Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar said 81.78% of the electorate exercised their franchise till the closing hours of polling at 3.30 pm. The counting of votes began at 4.30 pm, but it went on beyond midnight at many places, where results could only be declared in the early hours of Wednesday.
“This victory is due to the welfare schemes being implemented by the YSRC government under the leadership of chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy,” Botsa Satyanarayana said.
{{/usCountry}}“This victory is due to the welfare schemes being implemented by the YSRC government under the leadership of chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy,” Botsa Satyanarayana said.
{{/usCountry}}However, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has claimed that the candidates supported by the party had won 1,005 out of 2,723 gram panchayats, where polling was held, whereas the YSRC had won only 1,494 gram panchayats.
“The ruling party is claiming more panchayats by including those forcibly declared unanimous. The YSRCP leaders and cadres threatened the contestants from other parties at many places to see that their candidates are elected unopposed,” TDP spokesman P Ashok Babu said.
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The SEC told reporters on Wednesday that it was a welcome sign that people had participated in large numbers to cast their vote, which would only strengthen democracy.
He congratulated the election staff and also the police department for conducting the elections peacefully. He hoped that similar spirit would be displayed in the next three phases of gram panchayat elections as well.