The Andhra Pradesh government has intensified preparations to hold elections in 23 urban local bodies (ULBs) that were left out of the 2021 civic polls due to pending court cases and administrative hurdles.
The State Election Commission (SEC) is expected to issue the election notification in the third week of November, subject to the completion of preparatory work and its approval.
The municipal administration and urban development department has already written to the SEC seeking permission to prepare electoral rolls for these bodies.
The government aims to complete the groundwork in time to hold these civic polls around the conclusion of the ongoing three-phase gram panchayat elections.
This move follows the high court's dismissal, on October 1, of petitions challenging the merger of adjoining villages and gram panchayats with the respective urban local bodies, which had stalled elections since 2021.
These elections are crucial for strengthening local governance in several parts of the state, providing representation to citizens, and accelerating development initiatives.
