In Andhra Pradesh, the State Election Commission has successfully held elections to the Gram Panchayats in the state. The Four-Phase election process was completed successfully yesterday. The last ordinary elections were held in the year 2013 and the present elections have taken place in the background after traversing several litigations, due to the resolve of the Commission not to delay the holding of elections further, said the State Election Commissioner N. Ramesh Kumar while talking to the media persons today in Vijayawada. <br />''<br />''The elections have been held to 13,097 Sarpanchs and 2,197 Sarpanchs have witnessed unanimous  elections (16.77 per cent). Elections have been held to elect 1,31,023 Ward Members and 47,459 Ward Members have witnessed unanimous elections (36.22 per cent). This in view of the Commission is reasonable as compared to the unanimous elections of 1,980 out of 12,740 Sarpanchs (15.54 per cent) and 44,448 out of 1,29,316 Ward Members (34.37 per cent) respectively during the elections held in the year 2013.<br />'' <br />''The Constitution's 73rd and 74th Amendments have vested the Panchayats with both funds and functions. The elections now held, will provide these bodies with the necessary leadership and will give a new vitality and sense of direction to these bodies. Holding of elections had also paved the way for release of funds through the Finance Commission, which is  a prerequisite. The elections have witnessed an overall polling percentage of  81.78 under difficult and  challenging circumstances such as the COVID pandemic.<br />'' <br />''The Gram Panchayat elections could be held due to the dedication and commitment of Government servants at large and the Police personnel who have extended comprehensive security cover.<br />'' <br />''The remarkable feature of the elections is the enthusiasm of the voters and the concerned public at large. The elections also stand out for being entirely violence-free. Barring a few stray incidents, the elections have been extremely peaceful and the Commission would like to thank all the political parties and stakeholders for extending their cooperation. The elections could be successfully held due to the coordination and planning at the field level by the Collectors and District Election Authorities and  Superintendents of Police acting in unison. At the State level, leadership roles have been played by the Chief Secretary and Director General of Police and cooperation was extended by the line departments including the Finance  Department.<br />'' <br />''The free and fair manner in which the elections have been held reposes confidence both in the democratic institutions and processes. The impartiality of the Administration in rising up to the challenges and delivering have established the credibility of the State Administration as the best in the country.<br />'' <br />''<span style="color: #222222;">The State Election Commissioner expressed its gratitude to the media, both print and electronic; for playing a key and positive role in taking the message of free and fair elections as well as the duty to participate and vote successfully to the reach of the people.</span><br />