HYDERABAD: Sunday's elections to 547 Gram Panchayats across seven districts have been postponed by the authorities following incessant rain in North Coastal Andhra and North Telangana.

In all, 6,923 panchayats were scheduled to go to polls on Sunday in 25 revenue divisions, but the Collectors of the flood-affected districts had already announced postponement due to heavy rain.

State Election Commission sources told The Hindu on Saturday that elections to 147 panchayats in Kothagudem and 115 in Palvancha divisions had been postponed in Khammam district. Authorities also put off polls in all the 239 panchayats in Nirmal division of Adilabad district as road links to several villages remained cut off.

The East Godavari district administration has put off the polls in 23 gram panchayats in Kothapet, Sakhinetipalli, Ravulapalem, Mummidivaram, Ayinavilli, P. Gannavaram and Mamidikuduru mandals falling in Amalapuram division. However, elections to the remaining 244 panchayats in the division would go to polls as scheduled.

Similarly, officials postponed elections in 24 panchayats in Medak district, including all the 21 panchayats in Kangti mandal, which was badly affected by heavy rain. Elections in 12 panchayats in Tenali division, eight panchayats located on islands in West Godavari, seven in Srikakulam district and one in Gadwal division of Mahabubnagar were deferred.

The commission decided to conduct fresh polls in 24 panchayats of Medak district on August 9 and in 23 panchayats in Amalapuram division of East Godavari on August 10. Dates for the other panchayats would be decided in a day or two.

Meanwhile, elaborate arrangements have been made in other districts for violence-free polling.

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