Polling for 2,723 panchayats in Andhra Pradesh is underway with people standing in queues to exercise their franchise early on Tuesday.  Andhra Pradesh state election commissioner (SEC) Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar has inspected the poll process at the control room in Vijayawada. As many as 7,506 candidates are contesting for sarpanch posts and 43,601 are in the fray for ward members. An average of 12 percent polling has been recorded in the entire Srikakulam district till 8.30 am, according to officials.

 Polling commenced at 6.30 AM and will go on till 3.30 PM while counting of votes will begin at 4 PM, the official said. Elections are also being held to elect 20,157 ward members.

According to the Panchayat   Raj Department, elections were to be held for 3,249 posts of panchayat sarpanch, 525 have been unanimously elected, while no nomination was filed for a village in Nellore district. The polls will be conducted in four phases till February 21 with the first one being held on Tuesday. 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 and3,594 hypersensitive.

All necessary precautions are in place as per COVID-19 protocol amid tight security and PPE kits will be provided to voters infected by the virus, it added.

Ineffective social distancing led to COVID outbreak on US aircraft carrier

BJP President JP Nadda will be on Bengal tour today

Gujarat civic elections: BJP MLA threatens to "finish off" reporters