Preparation and publication of electoral roll for a gram panchayat

(1) The electoral roll for gram panchayat shall be prepared by the person authorised by the Andhra Pradesh Election Commissioner for Local Bodies in such manner by reference to such qualifying date as may be prescribed and the electoral roll for the gram panchayat shall come into force immediately upon its publication in accordance with the rules made by the Government in this behalf. The electoral roll for the gram panchayat shall consist of such part of the electoral roll for the Assembly Constituency published under the Representation of the People Act, 1950 (Central Act 43 of 1950) as revised or amended under the said Act, upto the qualifying date, as relates to the village or any portion thereof: Provided that any amendment, transposition or deletion of any entries in the electoral roll, or any inclusion of names in the electoral roll of the Assembly Constituencies concerned, made by the Electoral Registration Officer under section 22 or section 23, as the case may be, of the Representation of the People Act, 1950 (Central Act 43 of 1950), up to the date of election notification, for any election held under this Act, shall be carried out in the electoral roll of the Gram Panchayat and any such names included shall be added to the part relating to the last ward Explanation - Where in the case of any Assembly Constituency there is no distinct part of the electoral roll relating to the village, all persons whose names are entered in such roll under the registration area comprising the village and whose addresses as entered are situated in the village shall be entitled to be included in the electoral roll for the gram panchayat prepared for the purposes of this Act. (2) The electoral roll for a Gram Panchayat- (a) shall be prepared and published in the prescribed manner by reference to the qualifying date,- (i) before each ordinary election; and (ii) before each casual election to fill a casual vacancy in the office of the Sarpanch and Member of a Gram Panchayat; and (b) shall be prepared and published in any year, in the prescribed manner, by reference to the qualifying date, if so directed by the State Election Commission: Provided that if the electoral roll is not prepared and published as aforesaid, the validity, or continued operation of the said electoral roll, shall not thereby be affected. (3) The electoral roll published under sub-section (1) shall be the electoral roll for the gram panchayat and it shall remain in force till a fresh electoral roll for the gram panchayat is published under this section. (4) The electoral roll for the gram panchayat shall be divided into as many parts as there are wards so that each part consists of the voters residing in the concerned ward and for this purpose the electoral roll may be rearranged if such rearrangement is found necessary. (5) Every person whose name appears in the part of the electoral roll relating to a ward shall subject to the other provisions of this Act, be entitled to vote at any election which takes place in that ward while the electoral roll remains in force and no person whose name does not appear in such part of the electoral roll shall vote at any such election. (6) No person shall vote at an election under this Act in more than one ward or more than once in the same ward and if he does so, all his votes shall be invalid. Explanation - In this section, the expression 'Assembly Constituency' shall mean a constituency provided by law for the purpose of elections to the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly.