Around 2,13,728 voters are expected to cast their votes in 443 polling stations in the first phase of rural local body elections in seven mandals in the district on Monday.
Polling is slated to take place from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. in seven mandals as per timings stipulated by the Election Commission for Left-Wing Extremism-affected areas, sources said.
Seven ZPTCs and 71 MPTCs in seven mandals including Aswapuram, Charla, Dummugudem, Mulakalapalli, Palvancha, Tekulapalli and Burgampadu mandals are slated to go to polls on Monday.
In all, around 2,800 polling staff have been deputed for duty in the tribal-dominated district. Over 1,000 police personnel have been deployed as part of poll bandobust.
In Khammam district, elections will be held in 629 polling stations for 110 MPTCs and seven ZPTCs in Kusumanchi, Nelakondapalli, Tirumalayapalem, Khammam rural, Kamepalli, Mudigonda and Singareni (Karepalli) mandals.
Additional security measures have been taken to prevent untoward incidents in 71 polling stations identified as “critical” in the district.
5 lakh voters
In Adilabad, Kumram Bheem Asifabad, Mancherial and Nirmal districts, over 5 lakh voters will exercise their franchise in the first phase election.
In Nirmal, 1.34 lakh voters will elect candidates to seven ZPTCs and 51 MPTCs in seven mandals. KB Asifabad will see election in the mandals of Bejjur, Chintalamanepalli, Koutala, Dahegaon, Penchikalpet and Sirpur (T).
In Mancherial, election will be held in Vemanpalli, Kasipet, Nennel, Tandur, Bheemini, Kannepalli and Bellampally. Police will maintain strict vigil, especially in 24 sensitive and 38 hyper sensitive polling stations.
In Adilabad, six mandals are going to polls. Voters in Adilabad rural, Mavala, Bela, Jainad, Tamsi and Bheempur will cast their votes.
Sensitive stations
As many as 25 ZPTCs and 266 MPTCs in erstwhile Warangal district will go to polls in the first phase.
In Mahbubabad district, across seven mandals, 47 candidates are in the fray for seven ZPTC seats and 243 are competing for 64 MPTC seats. A total of 1,90,029 people would exercise their franchise in 394 polling booths.
In Jayashankar-Bhupalpally, due to Naxal threat, polling will take place from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., instead of at 5 p.m. Returning officer V. Venkateshwaralu said three mandals — Bhupalpally, Ghanpur and Regonda — are going to polls for 38 MPTC seats and three ZPTC seats. A total of 211 polling booths have been set up. Police have identified 23 critical polling stations and deployed additional forces.
In Warangal Rural, Duggondi, Narsampet, Wardhannapet, Parvathagiri and Sangem mandals are going to polls for 58 MPTC seats and five ZPTC seats where 1,68,622 voters will exercise their franchise at 354 polling stations.
In Jangaon, Devaruppula, Palakurthy, Kodakandla and Lingala Ghanpur will go to polls for 49 MPTC and four ZPTC seats.
In Warangal Urban, the election will be held for 52 MPTC and four ZPTC seats in Kamalapur, Elkathurthy, Hasanparthy and Bheemadevarapalli mandals.
Intense contest
District Collector-cum-Election Officer Gaurav Uppal on Sunday visited the distribution-cum-reception centres set up in Gurrampode, PA Pally, Kondamallepally and Chintapalli mandals to oversee arrangements for polls in Devarakonda division.
For the total 643 polling stations, 109 stations have been tagged ‘critical’, and 82 of them have micro observers, among a total of 4, 631 personnel strength.
The division with 10 ZPTC and 109 MPTC positions will see an intense contest with 134 and 823 candidates, respectively, in fray.
Stage set
A total of 100 MPTCs and seven ZPTCs in Nizamabad district, and 88 MPTCS and nine ZPTCs in Kamareddy district will go to polls. TRS nominee Dadannagari Vitha Rao, who was in the race for ZP chairperson post, was elected unanimously from the Makloor ZPTC.
