Andhra Pradesh: Panchayat polls a litmus test for parties

HYDERABAD: Elections to 21,491 gram panchayats in Andhra Pradesh, the notification for which was issued by the state election commission today, are going to be a litmus test for political parties ahead of 2014 elections.

Panchayat elections will be held after a gap of two years as the term of previous elected bodies ended in August 2011.

The state government is holding the elections after a Supreme Court verdict in February this year in this regard.

Opposition had alleged that Congress was reluctant to hold the polls fearing defeat owing to bad governance.

As per the notification issued today, the panchayats will go to polls in three phases on July 23, 27 and 31.

Congress and opposition TDP will mainly have to tackle Telangana factor in the region and likely sympathy wave for jailed YSR Congress party chief Jaganmohan Reddy in Andhra and Rayalaseema regions, apart from local equations.

Other parties like TRS, BJP and Left parties have different stakes to be concerned about.

The counting of votes will be taken up from 2 PM onwards for first phase on July 23, second phase on July 27 and third phase on July 31.

The results will be declared soon after the completion of counting of votes.

Though the elections will be held mainly on apolitical basis, the outcome will have a bearing on the government's decision on the conduct of polls to other two tiers of Panchayat Raj institutions, due for two years now.