Markapuram, Prakasam, Nellore districts get ready for Panchayat elections

As the Andhra Pradesh State Election Commission has issued an official notification for the conduct of elections in 23 Urban Local Bodies across the State, Markapuram, Prakasam, and Nellore district administrations prepare for the Gram Panchayat elections.

In Markapuram district, elections will be held for Podili Nagar Panchayat. Nominations will be accepted from November 14 to 16, and the scrutiny of nominations will take place on November 17. Polling is scheduled for November 26. Counting of votes and results will be on November 30.

Prakasam Collector and District Election Officer P. Raja Babu said that Gram Panchayat elections will be conducted for 519 panchayats across three divisions and 27 mandals in the district; following the merger of Dasarivaripalem.

The elections were excluded in Kondapi (term of office not yet concluded), Mangamuru (S.N. Padu) and Sarvareddipalem (Ongole)—where cases are currently pending in the High Court. There are 10.70 lakh voters in the district, he stated.

The polling will take place across 139 panchayats in Ongole and Kondapi constituencies during the first phase, across 198 panchayats in Addanki and Darsi constituencies in second phase, and 178 panchayats in Kandukuru and S.N. Padu constituencies in third phase.

The nominations will be accepted from November 15, the final list of candidates in the fray will be announced on November 21. Polling will take place on November 26, from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.. Counting of votes will commence at 2 p.m. on the same day, and the winners will be declared.

Nellore Collector and District Election Officer Himanshu Shukla announced the schedule for the election of chairpersons and ward members for Kavali and Gudur municipalities, as well as Alluru Nagar Panchayat in the district.

The SEC has finalised the number of wards for three urban local bodies: there are 44 wards in Kavali municipality, 48 wards in Gudur municipality, and 23 wards in Alluru Nagar Panchayat. The nominations will be accepted from November 14 to 16, during 11 a.m. to 3 p.m..

The final list of contesting candidates will be announced on November 19. The polling will take place on November 26 from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., with a provision for re-polling on November 27, if necessary. The counting of votes will commence on November 30 at 8 p.m..

The government has announced a cash incentive for villages where ward members and the Sarpanch are elected unanimously—without the need for an actual voting. Depending on the number of people in the village, an incentive of ₹15-50 lakh will be given for its development.