Local polls near take-off, govt to decide reservation quota

Amaravati: Andhra Pradesh is preparing to fast-track local body elections, with the state Cabinet scheduled to take up reservation quotas on Saturday and the State Election Commission expected to move towards issuing notifications once the government publishes its final decision in the Gazette.

With a statutory 34 per cent reservation for Backward Classes facing legal hurdles, the government is reportedly considering an alternative political commitment. The government is expected to allot more than 34 per cent of party tickets to BCs. The move would not, however, be equivalent to legally mandated reservation in local bodies.

State election commissioner Anil Chandra Punetha said the election schedule would be finalised after the government notified reservations for SCs, STs and BCs based on population. The SEC would then consult recognised political parties before announcing the notification dates. The Commission has completed preliminary work on ward delimitation and community demographics over the past two months.

The Supreme Court has clarified the way forward on electoral rolls: if the Special Summary Revision (SSR) is completed before notification, the revised rolls must be used; otherwise, elections can proceed on the existing lists. The Court has also addressed objections to ward delimitation, clearing a major procedural hurdle. The first phase is expected to cover 100 of the State’s 123 urban local bodies- 13 municipal corporations, 77 municipalities and 10 nagar panchayats.

Elections in the remaining 23 bodies, where litigation had delayed delimitation, are expected in a second phase. The government has directed that delimitation in these bodies be completed by October 16. In the first phase, the number of wards and divisions has increased by 736, from 3,206 to 3,942. Greater Visakhapatnam’s divisions have risen from 98 to 120, while Vijayawada’s have increased from 64 to 86. Other major corporations include Guntur, Nellore, Kurnool, Tirupati, Kadapa, Eluru, Anantapur, Ongole, Chittoor and Machilipatnam. The immediate trigger for the election schedule is the Cabinet’s reservation decision. Once the Gazette notification is issued, the SEC is expected to consult political parties and proceed with the poll notification.

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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