AP Gram Panchayat Elections 2026: Three-Phase Sarpanch and Ward Member Poll Dates (26 November 2026, 29 November 2026 and 2 December 2026), How You Vote With Pink and White Ballots, and Same-Day Counting

Andhra Pradesh gram panchayat polls for sarpanch and ward members run in three phases on 26 November 2026, 29 November 2026 and 2 December 2026, from 7 AM to 1 PM, with counting the same day from 2 PM. You get a pink ballot for sarpanch and a white ballot for ward member. Dates are on the APSEC schedule.

Updated 6 November 2026

If you live in a village in Andhra Pradesh, the next big local vote is for your sarpanch and ward member. Municipal polls are done. MPTC and ZPTC counting is on 7 November 2026. The gram panchayat round is the third and last big piece of the 2026 local body calendar, and the State Election Commission has already put the phase dates on its master schedule. This post is for voters: when your village is likely to vote, what the two ballots look like, what time the booth opens and closes, and when the result usually comes. It is not a candidate nomination guide. For reservation of your sarpanch seat, use our earlier post on the AP sarpanch reservation list. For MPTC and ZPTC results tomorrow, see where to check the 7 November 2026 count.

Quick facts

Why this round matters after MPTC and ZPTC

Andhra Pradesh split its 2026 local body elections into three big rounds. Round one was urban: mayors, chairpersons and ward members in corporations and municipalities. Round two is Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituency (MPTC) and Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituency (ZPTC), with polling on 5 November 2026 and counting on 7 November 2026. Round three is the gram panchayat: sarpanch and ward members in every village panchayat.

This is the vote that decides who runs your village day to day: water taps, street lights, sanitation, village roads, and the first place most people go when a scheme form gets stuck. The sarpanch is the head of the gram panchayat. Ward members sit in the gram panchayat body from each ward. After the poll, those elected members also pick an Upa-Sarpanch at a special meeting. The master schedule puts those Upa-Sarpanch meetings on 26/27 November 2026, 29/30 November 2026 and 2/3 December 2026, phase by phase.

One more thing people mix up: gram panchayat elections in Andhra Pradesh are on a non-party basis. The Returning Officer allots symbols from the Commission's list in list order. You will not see the usual national party symbols on the sarpanch ballot the way you do on an MPTC or ZPTC ballot.

Full phase calendar from the APSEC schedule

Dates below come from the APSEC master schedule for the 2nd Ordinary Elections to Local Bodies, 2026 (PDF on sec.ap.gov.in). Always re-check Latest Updates the week your phase opens, because APSEC has already revised other parts of this calendar once.

Which mandals sit in which phase is not in the master schedule PDF. That list comes inside each phase notification starting 13 November 2026. Until then, treat the three poll dates as fixed and wait for your district's notification to see your village's phase.

Who can vote, and what to carry

You can vote if your name is on the gram panchayat electoral roll for that village ward. That roll is separate from the Assembly voter list in how it is organised for the local body poll, even though many names overlap. If you voted in the municipal or MPTC round from a town address, that does not automatically mean you vote in a village GP. Check the roll published for your gram panchayat.

Carry:

☐ Your EPIC (voter ID card), or another photo ID the booth accepts ☐ The voter slip if the BLO or party agent gave you one (the slip helps find the booth number; it is not a substitute for ID) ☐ Your phone with a screenshot of your name on the roll, if you checked online earlier

If your name is missing on the GP roll, talk to the BLO or the Returning Officer's office as soon as the draft or final GP roll for your village is published. Do not wait till poll morning.

How the two ballots work on poll day

On poll day the booth runs from 7.00 AM to 1.00 PM as per the APSEC gram panchayat training material for 2026. Reach early. Village booths can get busy around mid-morning.

Inside, you normally get two paper ballots:

1. Pink ballot for sarpanch. This is the village-head vote. Every voter of that gram panchayat gets one, whichever ward you are in.

2. White ballot for ward member. This is only for the member of your own ward.

Both are stamped with the Commission's symbols allotted to the candidates. Gram panchayat postal ballots also use pink for sarpanch and white for ward member, and they show symbols rather than printed names, with a separate candidate-symbol list. At the booth the Presiding Officer and polling agents follow the usual paper-ballot process: marked electoral roll, indelible ink, stamped ballot, and the box.

There is a NOTA panel on the ballot. The last panel is for electors who do not want to vote for any contesting candidate. The NOTA symbol is the one notified in the Commission's symbol notification.

You do not vote directly for Upa-Sarpanch on this day. That post is filled later by the newly elected members at a special meeting.

Step-by-step: what to do on poll day

☐ Confirm your phase date once your district notification is out (from 13 November 2026 onwards) ☐ Note your polling station from the final list pasted at the gram panchayat office and other public places ☐ Reach between 7.00 AM and 1.00 PM with photo ID ☐ Collect both ballots if you are entitled to both (pink + white) ☐ Mark your choice with the stamp provided; do not sign or write your name on the ballot ☐ Fold and drop each ballot in the correct ballot box as the polling staff guide you ☐ Check your finger has indelible ink before you leave

If a booth is adjourned or a fresh poll is ordered for your station, APSEC publishes a separate order on Latest Updates. We saw several fresh-poll orders for the MPTC/ZPTC round on 5 November 2026. The same pattern can appear for GPs if needed, with re-poll dates already reserved on the schedule (27 November 2026, 30 November 2026, 3 December 2026).

When do results come?

Unlike MPTC and ZPTC counting on a later day, gram panchayat counting is on the same day as the poll, starting from 2.00 PM. The Returning Officer declares the sarpanch and ward member results after the count. In most villages you will know the new sarpanch by the evening of poll day, unless counting runs late or a recount is sought.

Official uploads, if any, will appear through the district administration and APSEC channels. Treat WhatsApp forwards as unconfirmed until they match the Returning Officer's declaration or the Commission site.

What happens after the result

☐ Winners get certificates of election ☐ Elected ward members and the sarpanch take charge as per the Panchayat Raj framework ☐ Upa-Sarpanch is elected at a special meeting of the members, on the dates in the indirect-election row of the schedule (26/27 November 2026 for Phase I, and so on) ☐ Keep an eye on your district for the exact meeting notice; members need their election certificate to sit in that meeting

If you want the bigger picture of how AP's three rounds fit together, our three-rounds explainer is still the map. For your MLA or MP after the local polls settle, use NetaSampark's Andhra Pradesh representatives page.

Who can contest, in brief (for voters who ask)

Voters keep getting asked the same eligibility questions at tea stalls, so here is the short citizen version from the Commission material and related notifications. Full nomination paperwork belongs on a candidate guide.

☐ Minimum age 21 years on the scrutiny date ☐ Name must be on that gram panchayat's electoral roll ☐ Deposit rates are fixed by APSEC notification (widely reported as ₹3,000 for sarpanch and ₹1,000 for ward member, with concessional rates for SC/ST/BC). Confirm the live notification on sec.ap.gov.in before anyone pays ☐ More than two children is no longer the old bar under the amended state law; still verify against the current Act text if you are advising a candidate ☐ Government employees and several other office-holders are barred unless they resign in time

If someone in your family wants to file, they should read the Returning Officer's election notice (Form-I) for the exact place and hours, and use Form-III with the self-declaration and deposit proof. Nominations are received in person, not by post.

Common mix-ups to avoid

☐ Thinking EVMs will be used. GP polls here are on paper ballots. ☐ Looking for party symbols on the sarpanch ballot. These seats are non-party; symbols are allotted from the SEC list. ☐ Expecting counting two days later. For GPs, counting starts the same afternoon from 2 PM. ☐ Skipping the white ballot. Many people focus on sarpanch and forget the ward member vote that decides who sits in the panchayat body with the sarpanch. ☐ Using the MPTC voter slip for the wrong booth. Booth lists for GPs are ward-based inside the village; re-check the GP polling station list.

Final reminder

Mark three dates first: 26 November 2026, 29 November 2026 and 2 December 2026. Then, from 13 November 2026, watch APSEC Latest Updates for the Phase I notification and your district's mandal list so you know which of those three days is yours. On poll day, carry photo ID, vote on both pink and white ballots between 7 AM and 1 PM, and expect the village result from 2 PM the same day.

FAQ

When are AP sarpanch elections in 2026?

Polling for sarpanch and ward members is in three phases on 26 November 2026, 29 November 2026 and 2 December 2026, as per the APSEC master schedule. Your village's exact phase will be in the notification that starts with Phase I on 13 November 2026.

What are the poll timings for AP gram panchayat elections 2026?

As per the APSEC gram panchayat training material for 2026, the poll starts at 7.00 AM and closes at 1.00 PM on the date fixed for that phase.

What colour are the sarpanch and ward member ballots?

The sarpanch ballot is pink and the ward member ballot is white. The same colour coding is used for postal ballots in the training material.

When is counting for AP gram panchayat elections 2026?

Counting is on the same day as the poll and begins from 2.00 PM onwards at the place fixed by the Returning Officer.

Do I vote for Upa-Sarpanch on poll day?

No. Voters elect the sarpanch and ward members. The Upa-Sarpanch is chosen later by the elected members at a special meeting on the indirect-election dates in the APSEC schedule.

Where do I confirm my village's phase?

On sec.ap.gov.in under Latest Updates, starting with the Phase I notification on 13 November 2026. District Collector and MPDO offices also publish the local list.

Sources

• Andhra Pradesh State Election Commission

• Latest notifications and orders

• Master schedule for local body elections 2026

• Gram panchayat training material 2026 (poll hours, counting time, ballot colours)

• Find your AP representatives on NetaSampark