The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Andhra Pradesh State Election Commission to decide by October 22 on extending nomination deadlines for urban local body elections in the state.
A vacation bench comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana heard the matter in New Delhi and addressed APSEC directly on the timetable for the urban polls.
The bench told the state poll panel to postpone publication of the final candidates’ list until October 25. It also directed APSEC to examine complaints involving violence, obstruction, and electronic evidence by Thursday.
Publication of the final candidates’ list had been scheduled for October 21. The court’s order stops that step from going ahead on the original date while the commission works through the grievances tied to the election process.
The question of whether nomination filing windows need more time sits with APSEC. The commission must announce its call on the extension by October 22, before the revised date for releasing the nominee roll.
Urban local body polls in Andhra Pradesh turn on those two tracks: the nomination deadline and the official list of who filed valid papers. Parties and candidates who were waiting for the list on October 21 will now wait until at least October 25 unless APSEC publishes earlier after clearing the court-mandated reviews.
The Thursday deadline for looking at violence, obstruction, and electronic evidence complaints runs parallel to the October 22 decision on nominations. APSEC’s findings on those complaints and its ruling on extra filing time will shape the next steps on the urban election calendar.
APSEC had not been told to abandon the urban poll schedule in the order; the bench focused on holding the candidates’ list, hearing out the complaint categories the court named, and fixing dates for those tasks. The panel’s October 22 answer on nomination extension is the next fixed milestone in the process.
