Barring a few incidents of minor violence, polling for the first phase of the panchayat elections across Andhra Pradesh concluded peacefully on Tuesday.
Thousands of voters thronged the polling booths to cast their votes in 5,892 gram panchayats spread across 22 districts.
While 115,703 candidates are in the fray for 49,729 ward members' posts, nearly 18,377 candidates are in the contest for the sarpanch posts.
The elections were originally scheduled for 6,140 gram panchayats in the first phase, but due to rains and floods, polling in 237 panchayats in six districts was postponed. Polls in these panchayats will be held on July 31, in the third phase. So far, as many as 2,642 sarpanches have been declared unanimously elected.
The polling, which began at 7am, concluded at 1pm. Officials began the counting of votes at 2pm, and the results for both sarpanch and ward members' posts will be announced soon. (INN)
filed in:Local Body Elections, Panchayat Raj, Gram Panchayat