Nominations for Andhra Pradesh's MPTC and ZPTC elections closed at 3 PM on Friday. It was the last day after a deadline extension that followed a Supreme Court direction. By Friday morning, 32,095 nominations had been filed for 9,829 MPTC seats, and 2,805 for 659 ZPTC seats across 28 districts. Final figures are awaited.
What Jagan said
YSRCP president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy said his party's candidates were being stopped from filing. "Chandrababu has stooped from booth rigging to nomination-center rigging," he said. He alleged attacks on candidates "right in front of the police" and said his party had given its evidence to the State Election Commission, the Governor and the Supreme Court.
The ruling alliance's side
TDP leader Bonda Uma Maheswara Rao accused the YSRCP of trying to stall the local body polls. He said nomination papers were snatched and torn in Punganur and other places. On Thursday, Minister Y. Satya Kumar Yadav said the trouble was concentrated in Pulivendula and Punganur, which have YSRCP MLAs.
What happened on Friday
- A Punganur court remanded 15 YSRCP leaders for 14 days in the nomination-day clashes case.
- At Marripadu in Nellore district, TDP leaders tore up a YSRCP candidate's nomination papers. At Peddavadugur in Anantapur, both sides threw stones and police used a lathi charge.
- CM Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan met for about 30 minutes on seat sharing for the local polls.
MPTC and ZPTC polling is due on November 3, though reports say it may move to November 5. Urban local body polling is on November 1.
