AP Offers Incentives: The Andhra Pradesh government has announced financial incentives of up to ₹50 lakh for gram panchayats that elect their sarpanch and all ward members unanimously. The initiative aims to encourage consensus-based local governance and support village development.
To qualify, both the sarpanch and all ward members must be elected unanimously. The election authorities must officially declare the results as uncontested before the panchayat becomes eligible. The incentive funds must be used for village development works and public welfare programmes, subject to financial and audit regulations.
Andhra Pradesh has 13,354 gram panchayats, of which elections are scheduled in 13,168. Polling will be conducted in three phases on November 26, November 29 and December 2. The revised incentives have brought greater attention to unanimous elections, with villages considering the potential funds for local infrastructure and development.