CM: Local poll outcome has endorsed NDA’s governance

Amaravati: Chief Minister and Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu has said the people of Andhra Pradesh have reaffirmed their faith in good politics and good governance by giving the NDA alliance a stronger mandate in the local body elections than in the 2024 General Election.

Addressing a press conference here on Monday, Naidu said the results reflected public appreciation of the government's welfare programmes, development initiatives, and governance over the past two and a half years.

Presenting statistics relating to the recent local body polls, Naidu said the NDA alliance secured 58.9 per cent of the combined vote share in the urban and parishad elections, compared with 55.3 per cent in the 2024 elections. The YSRCP's vote share declined to 33.56 per cent, resulting in a 25.34 percentage-point gap between the two sides. In urban areas, the NDA secured 59.9 per cent against the YSRCP's 34.3 per cent, while in ZPTC elections, the alliance received 57.6 per cent against 39.7 per cent for the opposition.

The alliance won 94 of the 100 urban local bodies, including 12 of the 13 mayoral posts and 82 of the 87 chairperson positions. The TDP secured 70 posts, Jana Sena 20, and the BJP four. Of the 3,941 wards, the alliance won 3,233, securing majorities in 95 urban local bodies and sweeping all wards in 16 of them. The YSRCP won only four ULBs and 558 wards, failing to secure a single ward in 22 bodies.

In the parishad elections, the NDA won 575 of the 659 ZPTC seats, establishing a lead in 27 of the 28 districts. The YSRCP failed to win a single ZPTC seat in seven districts. The alliance also secured 7,803 of the 9,818 MPTC seats and was set to capture nearly 90 per cent of mandal parishad president positions, he said.

Naidu said postal ballot results had also demonstrated support for the alliance, which secured 65.7 per cent of urban postal votes, against 27.42 per cent for the YSRCP. In parishad elections, the alliance received 62.83 per cent against YSRCP’s 31.46 per cent. He questioned the opposition's allegations of electoral irregularities, pointing out that the YSRCP had earlier questioned EVMs and was now raising doubts over ballot papers.

Explaining the government's development agenda, the Chief Minister said the Swarnandhra vision was aimed at rebuilding the state after the previous five-year regime. The government was focusing on irrigation projects, industrial investments, social welfare, infrastructure, transforming Rayalaseema into a global horticulture hub. He cited the progress of the Polavaram, Veligonda, and river-linking initiatives and the government's response to drought and cyclones.

Highlighting social representation, Naidu said 42 of the 70 TDP mayors and municipal chairpersons were women, while 44 belonged to BC, SC, ST and minority communities. Fifty-five of the 70 elected representatives had degree or higher qualifications.

Taking aim at the YSRCP, the Chief Minister alleged that it had attempted to obstruct elections through litigation and relied on intimidation and violence. He said the public had rejected such politics and urged the opposition to enter mainstream democratic politics.

Naidu made it clear that rebel candidates who had contested against official alliance nominees would not be readmitted into the party, stressing that the victories were the result of alliance unity rather than individual efforts. He congratulated alliance leaders and workers, adding that the mandate had increased the government's responsibility towards the people.

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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