Hyderabad: The first phase panchayat polling closed across Telangana, and counting started at 2 p.m. Polling began at 7 a.m. and ended at 1 p.m. Officials allowed voters still in queues to cast their ballots. Results are expected tonight, and authorities plan to take up the upa-sarpanch elections after the count.
Collectors and senior police officers checked the polling process throughout the day. Minor issues surfaced at a few places, but voting stayed calm overall. Stations reported steady turnout from morning until closing time.
First phase panchayat polling shifts to counting after steady turnout
The SEC issued notification for 4,236 sarpanch posts in this phase. Of these, 396 sarpanch posts and 9,633 ward posts went unopposed. Polling took place for 3,834 sarpanch posts, and 12,960 candidates remained in the race.
Election teams worked with 93,905 staff members for the three-phase exercise. Officials placed 3,591 returning officers and 2,489 micro observers across districts. They set up webcasting in 3,461 polling stations and used 45,086 ballot boxes for the day’s polling.