2 weeks ago
Local body polls preparations gather pace in Tirupati district
People in Tirupati district are getting ready to vote in local village elections.
Local elections choose leaders called sarpanches for village councils known as gram panchayats.
The district has 807 such villages.
Elections have already happened in 790 of them.
The other 17 villages had to wait because of court cases.
There are about 12.68 lakh voters in the district, and more women than men can vote.
The village leaders' time in office ended on April 2.
Some villages may become part of a bigger city called Greater Tirupati, so it is unclear if they will vote.
Officials are checking polling stations and making sure they have basic facilities.
The whole election process is expected to be finished within the next two months.
The State Election Commission is expected to complete local body election preparations in Tirupati district within the next two months, with political parties mobilising cadres at village level.
Of the district's 807 gram panchayats, elections were held in 790, while polls in 17 panchayats were delayed by court cases over restructuring.
The district has 12,68,039 voters — 6,17,069 men, 6,50,878 women and 92 from other categories — and electoral rolls have been published for 7,370 wards.
Uncertainty surrounds elections in 63 panchayats because of a proposed Greater Tirupati expansion, a merger plan put on hold after the Census exercise began.
Officials have identified 2,221 polling stations and are working on a proposal to hold polling in three phases across the Sullurpet, Srikalahasti and Tirupati divisions.
- Who
- The State Election Commission, district officials and political parties in Tirupati district.
- What
- Preparations for local body (gram panchayat) elections, including electoral rolls for 7,370 wards and inspections of 2,221 polling stations.
- Where
- Tirupati district, covering the Sullurpet, Srikalahasti and Tirupati divisions.
- When
- Now, with the process expected to be completed within two months; sarpanch tenures ended on April 2 and MPTC and ZPTC tenures end on September 24.
- Why
- Elections are due because the tenures of elected local body members have ended or are ending, while polls in 17 panchayats were delayed by court cases.
Key facts
- District
- Tirupati
- Total gram panchayats
- 807
- Panchayats with elections held
- 790
- Panchayats with delayed polls
- 17 (court cases over restructuring)
- Total voters
- 12,68,039 (6,17,069 men; 6,50,878 women; 92 others)
- Wards with published electoral rolls
- 7,370
- Polling stations identified
- 2,221
- Greater Tirupati proposal
- Merge panchayats from four mandals with Tirupati Municipal Corporation; put on hold after Census began; affects 63 panchayats
Sources
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