Kothagudem,19.09.2024: On Wednesday, Vidya Chandana, the Collector of Local Bodies, informed that any objections regarding the voter list for the Gram Panchayat elections should be submitted promptly. The meeting was held in the mini hall of the IDOC office to address issues related to the voting booths and the infrastructure at polling centers.
During the meeting with representatives of political parties, Chandana explained that the Gram Panchayat voter list was published on the 13th of this month. She mentioned that it was prepared based on the Assembly Voter List following the directions of the Election Commission.
In Bhadradri Kothagudem district, there are 484 Gram Panchayats, but elections will not be held in five of them as per the Election Commission’s guidelines. These include Sarapaka, ITCs linked to Sitanagaram, Shanti city Bhadrachalam, and Burgampadu in the Bhadrachalam division.
According to the election schedule, a meeting with political party representatives at the district level was set for Wednesday, 18th September, and another meeting at the mandal level was scheduled for Thursday, 19th September. The Collector urged political representatives to raise awareness among people about checking their names on the voter list, making sure their vote is registered, and informing authorities if there are any issues.
Chandana also explained that objections to the voter list could be raised between 14th and 21st September. The secretaries, MPOs, and MPDOs would review these objections under the guidance of the district panchayat officer, with a report expected by the 26th of September. The final voter list will be published on 28th September, and no changes or additions will be allowed afterward.
She highlighted that the district has 4232 wards in 479 Gram Panchayats and 623,940 registered voters. The elections will be conducted in phases: the first phase in Bhadrachalam division, the second in seven mandals of Kottagudem, and the third in the remaining seven mandals of Kottagudem. Polling stations will be set up in government buildings whenever possible, but in cases where buildings are unsuitable, private spaces may be used with approval from political party representatives.
The meeting was attended by Congress representative Laxman Aggarwal, BJP’s Nomula Ramesh, CPM’s Annavarapu Satyanarayana, Bahujan Samaj Party’s Erra Kamesh and CH Venjan Kumar, along with other officials including Bhadrachalam Division Panchayat Officer M. Sudhir Kumar and Kottagudem Digital Panchayat Officer Y. Ramana Rao.
