Gram panchayat elections in Telangana conclude with over 85 pc turnout

Hyderabad, Dec 14 (PTI) Over 85 per cent of eligible voters exercised their franchise in the second phase of gram panchayat elections in Telangana on Sunday, the SEC said.

The elections concluded peacefully, and the counting of votes was underway.

Of the 54,40,339 eligible voters, 46,70,972 cast their votes, recording a turnout of 85.86 per cent, a press release said.

“The polling was held peacefully,” Additional DGP (Law and Order) Mahesh M Bhagwat told PTI.

Polling was conducted from 7 am to 1 pm for 3,911 gram panchayat posts and 29,917 ward member seats.

A total of 12,782 candidates contested sarpanch posts, while 71,071 nominees vied for ward member positions. Counting of votes began at 2 pm.

The first phase of elections on December 11 recorded a voter turnout of 84.28 per cent.

The Telangana State Election Commission had announced a three-phase schedule for gram panchayat elections to be held on December 11, 14, and 17.

Following the recent bypoll in the Jubilee Hills assembly constituency, which the ruling Congress won, the gram panchayat elections are being seen as a test of the popularity of the Congress, BRS, and BJP.

Owing to legal hurdles surrounding the Congress government’s move to provide 42 per cent reservation to Backward Classes in local bodies, the Telangana government on November 17 decided to conduct elections only for gram panchayats, deferring polls for other rural local bodies, including Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituency (ZPTC) members. PTI VVK GDK VVK SSK