The state electon commission is gearing up to hold elections tothe three tier panchayat raj system in the state with the AP High Court on Tuesday refusing to stay the process. The three-tier election process includes elections to the panchayats, mandal parishads and zilla parishads.

Justice G Rohini dismissed an interim application filed by the state sarpanchs' association that wanted the court to intervene in the election process on the ground that the state is providing political reservations to the weaker sections beyond the 50 per cent benchmark fixed by the SC. While refusing to stay the polls, Justice Rohini said she would finally adjudicate the main petition of the association that wanted the court to examine the legal validity of the state's decision to provide 60.5 per cent reservations to SC, ST and BCs.

State election commissioner P Ramakanth Reddy told the media that notification for the local body elections would be issued in the next five days and the polls would be held in the second week of July. Reddy said that he would soon convene a meeting of all political parties to discuss the election process. The elections for the local bodies will be direct elections and the poll process will be completed by July 21.