All set for urban local polls today

Amaravati: The stage is set for the first phase of urban local body elections in Andhra Pradesh on Sunday, with 99.36 lakh voters preparing to exercise their franchise across 92 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs). Polling will be held from 7:00 am to 5:00 pm in 13 municipal corporations and 79 municipalities as well as nagar panchayats. The election will decide the representatives for 13 mayor posts, 70 municipal chairperson posts, and 3,186 ward member seats.

The State Election Commission has notified elections for 100 ULBs, comprising 13 corporations and 87 municipalities and nagar panchayats. However, 17 chairperson posts have already been filled unanimously, leaving seats for 70 chairperson posts to be contested. A total of 153 candidates are in the race for the mayor posts and 367 for the chairperson posts.

Of the 3,942 seats for ward members, 755 have been decided unanimously. One additional seat, Ward 20 of Atmakur in Nandyal district, is uncontested. Polling will therefore take place in 3,186 wards, where 9,742 candidates are contesting. The electorate includes 51.05 lakh women, 48.29 lakh men and 1,443 voters belonging to other categories. Women voters outnumber men by nearly 2.76 lakh.

The election process has been marked by widespread complaints over the distribution of voter slips. The redrawing of ward boundaries has created confusion, with members of some families living in the same house, under one door number, assigned to different wards and polling stations. Residents are struggling to establish where each family member should vote.

There are also allegations that voter slips were not distributed properly. Village and ward secretariat employees were reportedly entrusted with distributing 4,000 to 5,000 slips each, in addition to their regular responsibilities, including social pension disbursement. The additional workload is said to have affected the distribution exercise. The confusion has already become a challenge for polling personnel, who are facing complaints and arguments from anxious voters who have not received their voter slips or are unable to locate their polling stations.

The Election Commission has clarified that a voter slip is not compulsory for voting and that voters can cast their votes by producing an approved identity document, including Aadhaar.

A total of 12,244 polling stations have been notified, of which 11,378 will be required for polling after excluding unanimously decided wards. The SEC has deployed 13,504 presiding officers, an equal number of assistant presiding officers and 51,716 other polling personnel. There are also 1,449 returning officers and 2,543 assistant returning officers to supervise the election process. A total of 36,351 police personnel have been deployed, along with reserve forces and Quick Reaction Teams. Among polling stations, the SEC has identified 3,535 as ‘sensitive’, 2,131 as ‘highly sensitive’, and 71 as critical. A total of 14,628 CCTV cameras have been installed at polling stations, strong rooms, passages, and counting halls. Webcasting and micro-observers have also been arranged to monitor the process.

The arrangements for counting includes 138 counting centres, 556 counting halls and 6,831 counting tables. A total of 27,324 counting assistants will be involved in the process.

With violence reported during the nomination process in parts of Rayalaseema and Palnadu, the SEC has strengthened security, particularly in Pulivendula, where police firing took place. The TDP and YSRCP have traded allegations over possible electoral malpractice, making the maintenance of law and order an important challenge for the election authorities.

SEC Secretary Dr A. Mallikarjuna said arrangements had been made to ensure that polling was conducted freely, fairly and peacefully.

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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