Andhra Pradesh raises reward for unanimous panchayats to as much as Rs 50 lakh

Andhra Pradesh will now pay up to Rs 50 lakh to unanimous panchayats, villages that elect their sarpanch and every ward member without a contest in the 2026 gram panchayat polls. The Panchayat Raj and Rural Development (PR&RD) Department issued the order, G.O.Rt.No.1111, on Friday, 13 November, the same day the State Election Commission notified the first of three polling phases.

For the 2026 polls, the order replaces four population slabs set by G.O.Rt.No.157 in March 2020. Under those rules a panchayat below 2,000 people received Rs 5 lakh and one with 2,001 to 5,000 people Rs 10 lakh. Both groups are now merged, and any panchayat of up to 5,000 people gets Rs 15 lakh, so the smallest villages see their reward tripled.

Panchayats with 5,001 to 10,000 residents move from Rs 15 lakh to Rs 25 lakh. Those above 10,000 jump from Rs 20 lakh to Rs 50 lakh, two and a half times the old figure. The order says the aim is to cut factional rivalry and poll disputes and build consensus in villages. The Finance Department concurred the same day.

Money only for development works

A panchayat qualifies only when the election authorities officially declare its sarpanch and all its ward members elected unanimously, and its eligibility has to be verified and certified before release. The grant may be spent only on approved development and public welfare works, under the usual accounting and audit rules, and it will be paid in instalments during the elected body’s term.

The scheme, the order adds, must not interfere with any eligible person’s right to contest or with voters’ freedom to vote. Signed by Special Chief Secretary Kantilal Dande, it directs the Commissioner of PR&RD to publicise the incentive through District Collectors and to report the number of qualifying panchayats, with the estimated cost, once the election process is over. The enhanced amounts apply only to the 2026 elections.

Phase one nominations open on 15 November

In phase one, 3,967 sarpanch and 40,012 ward member posts are at stake, and returning officers issue election notices on Sunday, 15 November. Nominations are accepted from 10.30 am to 5 pm until Tuesday, 17 November, with scrutiny on Wednesday, 18 November. Withdrawals close at 3 pm on Saturday, 21 November, when the final list of candidates comes out, and polling follows on Thursday, 26 November, from 7 am to 1 pm wherever a contest remains.

Across the three phases, 13,167 sarpanch and 1,31,862 ward member posts go to the polls. Phase two is notified on Monday, 16 November, and votes on Sunday, 29 November; phase three is notified on Thursday, 19 November, with polling on Wednesday, 2 December.