Voting Underway in 92 Urban Local Bodies of Andhra Pradesh
Voters in Andhra Pradesh cast ballots for urban local body elections amid tight security, with results expected on November 3.
Amaravati, November 1 (Daily Kiran) : Voting is currently taking place in 92 urban local bodies (ULBs) across Andhra Pradesh, with strict security measures in place. The State Election Commission (SEC) reported that polling began at 7 AM at 11,378 polling stations across 13 municipalities and 87 municipal councils. Voting will continue until 5 PM.
Approximately 9.935 million voters are set to determine the fate of 10,262 candidates vying for positions such as mayor, chairperson, and ward-level roles. Notably, elections for chairperson positions in 17 municipalities and municipal councils were uncontested. In eight areas, including Allagadda and Piduguralla, both chairperson and ward member positions were filled without contest, with candidates from the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) emerging victorious.
In the 13 municipalities, a total of 153 candidates are competing for mayoral positions, while 367 candidates are in the running for chairperson roles in 70 municipal councils. Out of 922 corporator wards, voting is occurring in 804, as the remaining 118 wards saw uncontested elections. For these 804 wards, there are 3,077 candidates on the ballot.
A total of 6,669 candidates are contesting for 2,382 wards in municipalities and municipal councils. The voter count in municipal corporations stands at 5,997,918, while 3,938,096 voters are registered in municipalities and councils.
To facilitate the election process, the SEC has deployed 84,815 polling officers and staff, along with 3,720 micro-observers. Webcasting has been arranged at 1,835 polling stations, with a webcasting expert assigned to each location. In a bid to ensure peaceful, free, and fair voting, the commission has installed 12,666 CCTV cameras across polling stations.
The ruling NDA coalition, which includes the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Jana Sena Party (JSP), and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), is facing off against the opposition YSR Congress Party (YSRCP). The NDA is seeking a mandate from the public to continue its development and welfare programs implemented over the past two and a half years, while the YSRCP aims to highlight the coalition’s shortcomings.
The NDA is attempting to replicate its success from the 2024 general elections, while the YSRCP is striving to make a comeback after a significant defeat in the assembly elections. Under the seat-sharing arrangement among NDA allies, the mayoral positions for Greater Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada have been allocated to the TDP and JSP, respectively.
Originally scheduled for October 28, the ULB elections were postponed due to violent incidents that prevented several candidates from filing nominations, following directives from the Supreme Court. Vote counting is set to take place on November 3.
