Record 85% Polling in Final Phase of Local Polls in Warangal
Over 85% polling across six districts reflects strong grassroots democratic participation
Warangal: The third and final phase of the gram panchayat elections concluded on Wednesday with a massive and unprecedented voter turnout across the six districts of erstwhile Warangal.
Polling in several areas crossed the 85 per cent mark, reflecting strong rural participation in the election of local representatives. Mahbubabad recorded the highest turnout at 88.52 per cent, followed closely by Jangaon at 88.48 per cent and Warangal at 88.21 per cent.
The polling, held between 7 am and 1 pm, witnessed enthusiastic participation from all sections of voters, including first-time electors and senior citizens. In this phase, 19 sarpanches in Mahbubabad district and 11 in Warangal district were elected unanimously even before polling started.
High voter engagement remained consistent across all three phases of the elections and showed a steady rise. While the first phase on December 11 began with encouraging figures, the second and third phases recorded a sharp increase in turnout across most districts. Jangaon district, for instance, rose from 78.57 per cent in the first phase to 88.48 per cent in the final phase. Mulugu, which reported the lowest turnout of 73.57 per cent in the first phase, saw participation climb to nearly 84 per cent by the third round.
Officials described the results as a strong civic response in rural Warangal, attributing the high turnout to intense competition for sarpanch and ward member posts. Warangal and Mahbubabad emerged as the most consistently active districts, both exceeding 88 per cent turnout in the final phase. In Hanamkonda, although turnout dipped slightly in the third phase compared to the second, participation remained nearly five percentage points higher than in the first phase.
With the completion of the third phase, vote counting began immediately after polling concluded. The peaceful conduct of the elections across the united six districts marked the successful completion of the local body polls and set a new benchmark for rural voter participation in the region.