AP SEC focusses on unanimous polls in Chittoor and Guntur, directs officials to keep them pending

The State Election Commission has focused on the highest number of panchayats being declared unanimous in Chittoor and Guntur districts. SEC Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar has already asked the collectors of the two districts for a report. The SEC opined that the unanimous results across the state were not conducive to the appeared in these two districts. Authorities have been instructed not to declare the Panchayat election results as the unanimous for now. The Chittoor and Guntur collectors have been directed to send detailed reports on the same and said that the commission will take further action only after examining those reports.

The deadline for withdrawal of nominations in Tenali division, where early elections are being held in Guntur district, ended yesterday afternoon. Only one nomination was filed for Panchayat elections in 67 villages against 337 Sarpanchi positions. In 63 places, the ruling party sympathizers were in fray. Overall, the 20 percent of Panchayats were said to be unanimous. The number of unanimous results increased as some withdrew on the last day for withdrawal despite candidates vying for nominations. TDP sympathizers withdrew their nominations on behalf of their own party, turning the candidates over to them where they were sure to win if they were in the race. The party agreed to cover the respective candidates with a scarf. In some gram panchayats, although the sarpanch posts are unanimous, elections will be held for those seats as one of the nominees for the ward member posts will not withdraw.

By the time the withdrawal of the first phase of nominations in Chittoor division was completed, 112 Sarpanch seats were unanimous with 95 supporters of the ruling YSRCP, nine supporters of the TDP and eight independents were said to be unanimous. In the first phase, elections will be held in 453 places for 468 panchayats and the remaining 341 seats will go to polls on September 9. In Puthalpattu constituency, 49 out of 152 sarpanches were unanimous, which includes YSRCP 40, TDP seven and two independents. In Gangadhara Nellore constituency, which is represented by Deputy Chief Minister Narayana Swamy, 26 out of 137 Sarpanchi seats are uncontested and 2499 wards were unanimous.