NELLORE: State Election Commissioner Anil Chandra Punetha has directed district Collectors and police officials to strictly implement Supreme Court guidelines and ensure free, fair and peaceful conduct of the forthcoming urban local body and gram panchayat elections, without intimidation or obstruction to candidates and voters.
Addressing a review meeting with Superintendents of Police (SPs) from 12 districts at the Tirupati Collectorate on Saturday, he said security arrangements must be strengthened at every stage, from filing of nominations to polling and counting. He directed officials to provide police protection to candidates filing nominations, establish special nomination centres at Collectorates wherever necessary and set up cluster-level centres covering two or three villages in each mandal for gram panchayat elections.
He also directed officials to arrange CCTV surveillance and videography at nomination centres, polling stations, strong rooms and counting centres, and ensure prompt disposal of election-related complaints. Officials were told to comply with Supreme Court directions and prevent further legal challenges over alleged violations.
Punetha said the government had announced cash incentives for gram panchayats elected unanimously, provided the Sarpanch and all ward members were elected unopposed. The incentives are Rs 15 lakh for villages with a population of 2,000 to 5,000, Rs 25 lakh for those with 5,001 to 10,000 people and Rs 50 lakh for villages with a population of more than 10,000. He cautioned that unanimous elections must be entirely voluntary, without threats, pressure or coercion.
He said around 200 of the 777 recognised gram panchayats in Tirupati district were expected to be elected unanimously, which would help divert additional police forces to sensitive areas.
The SEC appreciated the coordination between the Tirupati collector and SP in implementing Supreme Court directions and urged other districts to follow the same approach.
IGP B. Rajakumari said the State Election Commission had received 1,182 complaints relating to election-related law and order issues — 254 directly, 810 through emails and 218 through phone calls. Kadapa accounted for the highest number of complaints at 278, followed by Tirupati with 136 and Annamayya with 132.
The complaints included attacks and threats against candidates, obstruction, abduction and tearing of nomination papers. She said field-level reports had been obtained and action initiated, while CCTV footage was being preserved.
ADG (Law and Order) N. Madhusudhan Reddy said the police department was fully prepared to ensure peaceful and transparent elections through comprehensive security arrangements.
District collectors, SPs and senior police officials from the 12 districts participated in the meeting.
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