The State Election Commission (SEC) on Tuesday issued orders postponing polling in six sensitive village panchayats in Narasaraopet and Gurazala revenue divisions citing law and order problem. The polling in these panchayats is scheduled to be held on Thursday. The SEC said that polling would be held on August 8. District Collector and District Election Officer S. Suresh Kumar said that polling in Rompicharla and Muttanapalli panchayats in Rompicharla mandal, Ikkuru of Narasaraopet mandal, Tubadu of Nadendla mandal and Kandlakunta and Siriguripadu in Veldurthy mandal has been put off to August 8.
The SEC acted after it had received specific inputs from the Election Observers and intelligence reports which said that the violence could break out in these sensitive villages in view of the incidents which took place in the run up to the panchayat elections.
Kandlakunta in Veldurthy mandal was on the boil during the nomination when rival groups led by Macherla MLA Pinnelli Ramakrishna Reddy (YSRC) and his uncle Pinnelli Laxma Reddy clashed with each other. The panchayat which had been reserved for ST is the native place of Ramakrishna Reddy. With the MLA intent on romping home unanimously and his uncle equally bent on having a contest, the situation continued to be tense.
Election at Tubadu, the native village of Minister for Cooperation Kasu Krishna Reddy, has been put off after reports of alleged excesses by some local leaders.
Tension also prevailed in Rompicharla and Muttanapalli panchayats. This is the second time that the panchayat elections have been out off in the district. In the first phase, elections in 11 panchayats have been put off but the SEC cited reports of open auctions in those panchayats.
