Chhattisgarh: Phase II of panchayat polls to be held in 43 development blocks on Thursday

Raipur, Feb 19 (PTI) The second phase of the three-tier Panchayat elections will be held on Thursday in 43 development blocks in Chhattisgarh, an official said. Panchayat polls are not held on party lines.

Altogether, 46,83,736 voters, including 23,17,492 men, 23,66,157 women and 87 belonging to the third-gender category, will be able to exercise their franchise in the second phase, he said.

All preparations have been made for the second phase of the polling to elect 26,988 ward panchs (panchayat members), 3,774 sarpanchs (gram panchayat head), 899 janpad panchayat members and 138 posts of Zila panchayat members, State Election Commissioner Ajay Singh said.

The first phase of panchayat polls was held on February 17.

For the second phase, 9,738 polling stations have been set up in 43 development blocks where elaborate security has been put in place, he said, adding that polling parties have started reaching their respective destinations.

The panchayat or local self-government elections in the state are held at three levels Gram Panchayat (village), Janpad Panchayat (block) and Zila Panchayat (district).

In the second phase, 65,716 candidates are in the fray for the posts of ward panch, 15,217 for sarpanch, 3,885 for Janpad Panchayat members and 699 for Zila Panchayat members, the official said.

The polling time in the Bastar division, comprising seven districts, is from 6.45 AM to 2 PM because of the Naxal threat, and from 7 AM to 3 PM elsewhere, he said.

According to police, in Naxal-affected areas of Bastar, additional security has been arranged at polling booths while patrolling has been intensified.

The third and last phase of polling is scheduled for February 23. Ballot papers are being used for voting in panchayat polls.

Counting will be held in respective polling booths soon after the votes are cast in each phase, he said.

Tabulation and election results for the posts of ward panch, sarpanch and janpad panchayat members will be announced at the block level on February 22 for the second phase and on February 25 for the third phase, the official said.

Tabulation and election results for the posts of ward panch, sarpanch and janpad panchayat members for the first phase, which was held on February 17, were declared on Wednesday.

Similarly, tabulation and results of the Zila Panchayat members will be conducted at the district headquarters on February 20 for the first phase, on February 23 for the second phase and on February 25 for the third phase, he said.

Elections are being conducted for the posts of 433 Zila Panchayat members, 2,973 Janpad Panchayat members, 11,671 sarpanchs of village panchayats and 1,60,161 panchs in the three-tier Panchayat elections this time, poll officials said.

“All nomination papers for 68 panch posts and one sarpanch post were rejected,” they said.

A total of 74,310 panchs, 448 sarpanchs, 41 Janpad Panchayat members and one Zilla Panchayat member have been elected unopposed as no other candidates were there in the fray, the officials said.

“This way, elections are being held in three phases for the posts of 85,188 panchs, 11,181 sarpanchs, 2,932 Janpad Panchayat members and 432 Zilla Panchayat members,” they said.

On February 17, the first phase of the polls was held to elect 27,210 ward panchs, 3,605 sarpanchs, 911 janpad panchayat members and 149 posts of Zila Panchayat members, wherein 81.38 per cent voter turnout was recorded.

In the recently held urban body elections in the state, the result of which was announced on February 15, the ruling BJP registered a landslide victory and won elections to a majority of civic bodies in the state. The saffron party won mayor posts in all ten municipal corporations where elections were held.