Hyderabad: After counting for the first phase of Andhra Pradesh pachayat polls, candiates backed by the Telugu Desam Party are leading in the poll. Candidates backed by the Congress are at close second. But the Kadapa MP Jagan Reddy-led YSR Congress backed candidates seemed to be the surprise package.
The first phase of polls were held on Tuesday with over 5,000 pachayats went to polls. The remaining phases will be held on the July 27 and 31.
Over 82.31 per cent voting was reported in the first phase of panchayat polls, which was marred by stray clashes between workers of different political parties, officials had said.
Stray incidents of violence were also reported after the counting of votes with group clashes occurring in some places.
Meanwhile, the State Election Commission (SEC) has had to postpone till July 31 polls in 11 gram panchayats (seven in Adilabad and four in Visakhapatnam district) due to heavy rains. Re-election has been ordered in four villages due to errors in ballot papers.
Counting of votes was taken up an hour after polling ended at 1 pm.
Sporadic violence had taken place in Nalgonda district where police had to use mild force at Jangampalli village after Congress workers attacked the winner of the sarpanch post, said to be a Telangana Rashtra Samiti sympathiser.
Congress and TRS workers had also tried to barge into a counting centre at Tirumalagiri in Warangal district, but were dispersed by police. Some tension also occurred in West Godavari district at a village in Kamavarapukota mandal following counting of votes although nothing untoward was reported.
The term of the gram panchayats, the lowest tier in the three-tier Panchayat Raj Institutions in AP, had ended in August 2011, but elections are being held now after a delay of about two years.
Although gram panchayat elections are held on an apolitical basis, all the major parties in the state have started claiming victory over each other in the contest.
(With additional inputs from PTI)
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