DMK leads in rural local bodies elections
The Hindu
Counting process expected to continue through the night in many places
The counting of votes is underway following ordinary elections to rural local bodies, which were held in the nine newly-constituted districts of Tamil Nadu, showed that candidates of the ruling DMK were leading in many places for district panchayat ward member seats and panchayat union ward member seats. The manual counting process is expected to continue through the night in many places.
As of 10.20 p.m. on Tuesday, DMK candidates have won 11 of the district panchayat ward member seats and 234 panchayat union ward member seats.
More than 2.6 lakh village and ward volunteers in Andhra Pradesh, once celebrated as the government’s grassroots champions for their crucial role in implementing welfare schemes, are now in a dilemma after learning that their tenure has not been renewed after August 2023 even though they have been paid honoraria till June 2024. Disowned by both YSRCP, which was in power when they were appointed, and the current ruling TDP, which made a poll promise to double their pay, these former volunteers are ruing the day they signed up for the role which they don’t know if even still exists