Polling began at 6.30 AM and ended at 3.30 PM. (Representational) Andhra Pradesh Panchayat Elections 2021: The first phase of polling for 2,723 panchayats in Andhra Pradesh ended peacefully with 81.78 per cent turnout, the State Election Commission said on Tuesday. However, the SEC did not provide the total number of eligible voters, news agency PTI reported.
Krishna district has recorded the highest percentage of 85.06, it said. Polling began at 6.30 AM and ended 3.30 PM, while counting of votes began at 4 PM, officials said.
Polling was also held to elect 20,157 ward members. With the completion of the first phase, the polls will be conducted till February 21 in another three phases.
According to the Panchayat Raj department, elections were to be held for 3,249 posts of panchayat sarpanchs, 525 have been unanimously elected, while no nomination was filed for a village in Nellore district.
As many as 7,506 candidates are contesting for sarpanch posts and 43,601 are in the fray for ward members. The elections are being held using ballot paper and without any political party symbols. The department had said 29,732 polling stations were set up, out of which 3,458 have been identified as sensitive and 3,594 hypersensitive.
The first phase of polling for 2,723 panchayats in Andhra Pradesh ended peacefully with 81.78 per cent turnout, the State Election Commission said here on Tuesday. The SEC, however, did not provide the total number of eligible voters. PTI
The polls will be conducted in four phases till February 21 with the first one being held today.