Mahalakshmi admits she 'won' the sarpanch post by paying Rs. 8,25,000 in Shyvalyapuram gram panchayat in Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh. She says the amount was for repair works to be carried out in the Rama temple in the village.
Shyvalyapuram was among those gram panchayats in Andhra Pradesh where the post of sarpanch was auctioned to the highest bidder, for anywhere between Rs. 4 lakh and Rs. 40 lakh.
