The Andhra Pradesh State Election Commission (SEC) on Wednesday revised the schedule for Mandal and Zilla Parishad (MPTC and ZPTC) elections. Polling moves from November 3 to November 5, from 7 am to 5 pm. Re-polling, where needed, is on November 6, and counting starts at 8 am on November 7.
Municipal vote counting now falls on November 3, the original parishad polling day. The SEC said it does not have enough police and polling staff to handle both on the same day. Polling at 88 stations in Alluri Sitharama Raju and Polavaram districts (44 in each) will still close at 3 pm.
State Election Commissioner Anil Chandra Punetha consulted collectors of cyclone-affected districts and decided not to change municipal polling. Urban local bodies vote on November 1, with counting on November 3. That date had already moved from October 28 after a Supreme Court order on a YSRCP petition alleging its candidates were stopped from filing nominations.
- MPTC: 9,829 seats, 46,045 candidates
- ZPTC: 659 seats, 4,770 candidates
- (SEC data reported on October 26)
Both sides
YSRCP president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy alleged on Tuesday that the Chandrababu Naidu government is misusing official machinery and that his party could field candidates in only 20 of 40 wards in Pulivendula. He said he would vote there on November 1. The TDP, Jana Sena and BJP, in a joint statement, accused YSRCP of trying to block the polls from the start, saying it filed 59 petitions in courts, and said timely polls are needed to secure central funds. The TDP won 20 Pulivendula wards unopposed.
