Telangana Gram Panchayat Phase 2 Counting Begins
Over 57 lakh voters to decide fate of 3,911 sarpanches and 29,917 ward members; counting to begin this afternoon
Hyderabad: Counting of votes for the second phase of the Telangana Panchayat elections has begun. Polling started at 7 am on Sunday and continued till 1 pm, with voters standing in queues allowed to cast their votes even after the scheduled time. Vote counting commenced at 2 pm.
Officials are first counting votes for ward member positions, followed by the counting of sarpanch votes. After the declaration of sarpanch results, the election for the deputy sarpanch will be conducted. A meeting of ward members will be held to elect the deputy sarpanch.
In the second phase, polling was held for 3,911 gram panchayat sarpanch posts and 29,917 ward member posts across 193 mandals in the state. A total of 12,782 candidates contested for sarpanch posts, while 71,071 candidates were in the fray for ward member positions.
Elections are being held for 3,911 Gram Panchayat sarpanch posts and 29,917 ward member positions. A total of 12,782 candidates are contesting for sarpanch posts, while 71,071 candidates are in the fray for ward member seats. As many as 57,22,465 voters are eligible to exercise their franchise at 38,337 polling stations.
Polling will continue until 1 PM, followed by counting of votes from 2 PM. Results will be declared thereafter. Subsequently, meetings of newly elected ward members will be held to elect deputy sarpanches.
Earlier, the election notification was issued for 4,333 sarpanch posts and 38,350 ward member seats. Of these, 115 sarpanch posts and 8,307 ward member positions were declared unanimous. Nominations were not filed in five villages and 108 wards, while elections were withheld in two villages and 18 wards. Polling is being conducted in the remaining panchayats.
To ensure the smooth conduct of elections, 4,583 returning officers and 30,661 staff have been deployed. Additionally, 2,489 micro-observers are overseeing the process. A total of 40,626 ballot papers are being used. Webcasting facilities have been arranged at 3,769 sensitive polling stations to enhance transparency and security.
