Polling was under way for elections to 92 urban local bodies (ULBs) in Andhra Pradesh on Sunday, November 1, amid tight security, IANS reported, citing State Election Commission (SEC) officials. Polling began at 7 a.m. at 11,378 polling centres in 13 municipal corporations and 79 of the 87 municipalities and nagar panchayats, and will continue till 5 p.m. As many as 99.35 lakh voters will decide the fate of 10,262 candidates contesting mayoral, chairperson and ward-level posts.
Source: IANS
The Hindu BusinessLine separately reported that polling for 13 corporations and 79 municipalities commenced at 7 a.m. and will continue until 5 p.m., with about 99.36 lakh voters expected to cast their votes. Repolling, if necessary, will be conducted on November 2, while counting of votes will be taken up on November 3, according to the SEC. Police have made elaborate security arrangements and identified 1,233 sensitive polling stations for additional security measures, the report said.
Source: The Hindu BusinessLine
What is being decided
A total of 153 candidates are contesting for mayor posts in 13 municipal corporations, while 367 candidates are contesting for the posts of chairpersons in 70 municipalities, IANS reported. Of the 922 corporator wards, polling is being held in 804, as the election was unanimous in the remaining 118 wards; 3,077 candidates are contesting those 804 wards, and 6,669 candidates are in the fray for 2,382 wards in municipalities and nagar panchayats. Elections for the posts of chairpersons of 17 municipalities and nagar panchayats were unanimous, and both chairpersons and ward members were elected unopposed in eight bodies — Allagadda, Dachepalli, Darsi, Gurajala, Kamalapuram, Piduguralla, Proddatur and Rayachoti — which IANS said were bagged by the ruling NDA coalition.
Source: IANS
The SEC has deployed 84,815 presiding officers and other staff for polling, along with 3,720 micro observers, IANS reported. Webcasting arrangements have been made from 1,835 polling centres and 12,666 CCTV cameras have been installed as part of the arrangements for peaceful, free and fair polling. Corporation areas account for 59,97,918 voters and municipalities and nagar panchayats for 39,38,096 voters, according to the SEC figures carried by IANS.
Source: IANS
A midterm test for the Naidu-led NDA
ANI reported that the civic polls are being watched as a significant political test for the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government led by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), and as a test of the opposition YSR Congress Party's (YSRCP) grassroots strength after losing power in the state. The main contest is between the NDA — comprising the TDP, Jana Sena Party and Bharatiya Janata Party — and the YSRCP led by former Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy. Polling began across Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Guntur, Kadapa and Vizianagaram, ANI said.
Source: ANI
In Vijayawada, ANI reported a triangular mayoral contest between NDA-backed Jana Sena nominee Vangaveeti Radhakrishna, sitting YSRCP mayor Rayana Bhagya Lakshmi and independent candidate A. B. Venkateswara Rao, a former state intelligence chief. In Visakhapatnam, the TDP-led alliance's Mukka Sravani faces YSRCP's Varudu Kalyani, while in Guntur the ruling coalition's Kovelamudi Lakshmi Aparna is contesting against YSRCP candidate Tadikonda Alivelu Venkata Naga Padmasridevi, ANI reported. IANS reported that under the NDA's seat adjustments, the mayoral posts of the Greater Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada municipal corporations were allotted to the TDP and Jana Sena Party respectively.
Source: ANI
Polling for the ULBs was originally scheduled for October 28, but was deferred following directions from the Supreme Court after violent incidents prevented several candidates from filing their nominations, IANS reported. Awaaz Punjab covered that earlier stage of this election — the poll panel's halt of the process and the Supreme Court's disposal of the YSRCP plea on nominations. Sunday's voting is the rescheduled polling day, and the results will follow the November 3 counting.
Source: IANS