GP polls spoil festive mood

Karimnagar: Instead of enjoying Sankranthi festival with friends and relatives, people in rural areas are busy in gram panchayat elections. The city people went to their native rural areas to enjoy the festival with their relatives and others, but the rural people have no time to spend quality time with them, as they are busy in elections.

The festival guests are in a big dilemma, whom to support as many of the candidates are either relatives or friends. Meanwhile, a few candidates are dragging their guests into campaigning for them. Nomination filing for the second phase and nomination withdrawals for the first phase was concluded on January 13. 

Polling will be held in 99 villages and 728 wards in the first phase in Karimnagar district. As many as 464 candidates are contesting for sarpanch post and 2,092 persons testing their luck by contesting as ward members. 

Elections in three villages were unanimous where sarpanches and 220 ward members were elected in the first phase. Second phase elections will be held in 107 villages and 1,014 wards in Karimnagar district. As many as 889 candidates are in the field for sarpanch in 107 villages and 3,267 candidates are contesting for the ward members for 1,014 wards in the second phase. 

By Bhagyanagar Bhaskar Kumar