Curtains on municipal election campaign in AP

Amaravati: The high-voltage campaign for elections to Andhra Pradesh’s municipalities and municipal corporations ended at 5 pm on Friday, setting the stage for polling across 70 municipalities and Nagar Panchayats as well as 13 municipal corporations on November 1. With the 48-hour silence period coming into force, candidates and political parties can no longer hold public meetings, processions or use loudspeakers to canvass votes.

The Andhra Pradesh State Election Commission (SEC) has almost completed arrangements for polling in the contested divisions and wards, deploying 36,351 police personnel across the state to prevent violence and ensure peaceful voting. More than 12,500 polling stations have been established, with around 38,000 to 40,000 polling personnel assigned election duties. Counting of votes will take place on November 3.

The scale of security deployment reflects the commission’s focus on maintaining law and order during the elections. As many as 34 IPS officers will supervise the poll process.

Police personnel have already been assigned to their respective polling stations. Drones, CCTV cameras and videographers will be used for surveillance, while webcasting will be arranged in sensitive and highly sensitive areas. The SEC initially considered webcasting at every polling station but decided to restrict it to vulnerable locations, citing practical constraints.

The commission has also divided responsibilities among polling and municipal staff. While around 38,000 to 40,000 personnel will handle polling duties, employees of the respective municipal bodies will be assigned auxiliary responsibilities outside polling stations. They will not be entrusted with duties inside the booths, a decision taken by the SEC after considering local conditions. The elections will be held for more than 3,200 divisions and wards, excluding those declared elected unanimously. None of the 13 municipal corporations has any division won uncontested. Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation, the largest in the state with 120 divisions, will go to polls in all its divisions.

Unanimous victories have, however, settled the contest in 17 of the 87 municipalities and Nagar Panchayats. No polling will be held in these 17 urban local bodies, where all wards and the chairperson posts have been secured without a contest. The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) won 15 chairperson posts unanimously, while the Jana Sena and the BJP secured one each.

Among the municipalities where all wards, including the chairperson post, were won unanimously are Piduguralla, Dachepalli, Gurajala, Darsi, Proddatur, Kamalapuram, Rayachoti and Allagadda. In the 13 municipal corporations, 118 of the total 922 divisions were also won unanimously, although elections will be held in the remaining divisions. The SEC had finalised its preparations following a review of arrangements with district-level officials. State election commissioner Anil Chandra Punetha, SEC secretary Mallikarjuna and IG (Law and Order) Rajakumari held a video conference with collectors, superintendents of police, city police commissioners and other officials from 28 districts. They reviewed polling arrangements, security measures and law-and-order preparedness. The officials were directed to ensure that polling begins promptly at 7 am on November 1 and continues until 5 pm. The campaign had been limited to five days after the final list of candidates was published on the evening of October 25, following the Supreme Court’s directions. With campaigning now over, the focus shifts to turnout, polling-day security and the conduct of voting across the contested urban local body seats.

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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