Seventeen municipal chairperson posts in Andhra Pradesh have been decided before a single vote is cast in the urban local body elections due on 1 November. The TDP won 15, the Janasena 1 and the BJP 1.
The unopposed count
- 751 wards and divisions went unopposed: the alliance 726 (TDP 660, Janasena 38, BJP 28), YSRCP 19, CPI 1 and independents 5.
- That is 21.08% of all wards and 12.58% of all divisions.
- In Kadapa district, the alliance won 6 chairperson posts unopposed. In Kadapa Corporation, 50 of 66 divisions went unopposed.
- In Pulivendula, former CM Jagan Mohan Reddy's own constituency, the TDP won 20 of 40 wards unopposed. The chairperson post there will be contested.
YSRCP's charges
YSRCP chief Jagan Mohan Reddy alleged that his party's candidates were stopped from filing nominations in 19 municipalities. He demanded Supreme Court-monitored polls with central forces and CCTV coverage. Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy made similar charges about Punganur.
The government's reply
CM Chandrababu Naidu said 24% of seats went unopposed under the YSRCP government, and that police gave YSRCP candidates security to file their papers this time. He accused Jagan of using court cases to stall the elections.
Following Supreme Court directions, the State Election Commission moved polling to 1 November for 100 bodies: 13 corporations and 87 municipalities and nagar panchayats. Repolls, where needed, are on 2 November and counting is on 3 November.
