All set for MPTC, ZPTC polls today

Amaravati: The Andhra Pradesh State Election Commission (AP SEC) has put in place extensive arrangements for the MPTC and ZPTC elections scheduled for November 5. State Election Commissioner Anil Chandra Punetha said on Wednesday that, with rainfall subsiding, there were no major obstacles to conducting polling in most parts of the state. He made these remarks after reviewing cyclone-related conditions and election preparedness with collectors and superintendents of police (SPs) in Vijayawada.

Punetha directed officials to coordinate across departments and take precautionary measures in rain-affected areas to ensure free, fair and peaceful polling without inconvenience to voters or election personnel.

APSEC Secretary A Mallikarjuna said 2.52 lakh personnel would be engaged for polling and 52,000 for counting. Special attention was being given to West Godavari, Guntur and Bapatla districts. Videography inside polling stations has been permitted wherever necessary, and presiding officers have been instructed to download the relevant application.

The electorate comprises 2,61,52,377 voters- 1,28,76,887 men, 1,32,74,208 women and 1,282 others. DGP Harish Kumar Gupta said adequate police forces would be deployed at polling stations to prevent overcrowding, with sector officers continuously monitoring the law-and-order situation.

According to the SEC's official statistics, polling will be held for 582 of the 659 ZPTC seats across 28 Zilla Praja Parishads. The remaining 77 seats were declared unanimous, with 2,169 candidates contesting. Of the 9,821 MPTC seats in 659 Mandal Praja Parishads, 2,051 were declared unanimous and 7,767 will go to polling. Three others will not be contested: two in Sugumanchipalli-1 and 2 in Kondapuram mandal of YSR Kadapa district, where no nominations were filed, and one in Krishnagi MPTC of Banaganapalle mandal in Nandyal district, where all nominations were rejected.

The SEC has identified 31,460 polling stations as problematic, including 8,904 sensitive and 7,160 hypersensitive stations. Surveillance arrangements include CCTV at 16,064 locations, webcasting through 6,000 laptops and videography at 6,507 stations. A total of 1,01,618 ballot boxes have been arranged. Polling arrangements include 39,166 presiding and assistant presiding officers, 1,51,156 other polling officers, 2,274 zonal officers and 6,781 micro observers.

For logistics, 4,442 big and 3,200 small vehicles and 609 distribution centres have been arranged. Counting will be conducted at 365 centres with 9,062 tables, supported by 11,002 supervisors and 28,692 counting assistants and staff.

The SEC has mobilised 40,679 police personnel, including 34 SPs, 51 additional SPs, 151 DSPs, 768 inspectors, and 1,637 sub-inspectors etc. District-wise, Palnadu has the highest number of unanimous MPTC seats at 382, followed by YSR Kadapa (350) and Markapuram (217). Srikakulam has the highest number of MPTC seats going to polling at 523. In ZPTCs, YSR Kadapa has 23 unanimous seats and Palnadu 18; SPSR Nellore has the highest number of seats going to polling at 30.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

K Varaprasada Rao

K Varaprasada Rao[email protected]

K Varaprasada Rao is a Senior Reporter with The Hans India, covering the Andhra Pradesh Secretariat, Chief Minister's Office (CMO), State Legislative Assembly, Legislative Council and political affairs. With over 20 years of experience in journalism in Andhra Pradesh, he has extensively reported on governance, public policy, politics, and socio-economic issues that shape the state's development and influence the country's evolving landscape. He holds a postgraduate degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. His reporting focuses on finance, industries, irrigation, agriculture, infrastructure, investment, public administration, and political developments, with a particular interest in analysing their long-term economic and social impact.

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