The Andhra Pradesh State Election Commission (SEC) has extended the deadline for filing nomination papers by 48 hours across select wards in four urban local bodies, State Election Commissioner Anil Chandra Punetha announced on Thursday, ANI reported.

Source: ANI via DevDiscourse

Under the revised timetable, prospective candidates can submit fresh nomination papers on October 23 and October 24 between 11:00 AM and 3:00 PM. The extension applies to designated wards within the Kadapa Municipal Corporation, Tirupati Municipal Corporation, Rajampet Municipality and Mydukur Municipality.

The poll body said the revised schedule for the post-nomination stages will apply across all 100 urban local bodies taking part in the civic elections. Scrutiny and withdrawal will culminate in the publication of the final list of contesting candidates on October 25, polling will be held on November 1, any repolling will take place on November 2, and counting of votes will follow on November 3.

Why the deadline moved

The decision complies with directions issued by the Supreme Court on Wednesday. A vacation bench of Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana directed the SEC to decide by October 22 on extending nomination deadlines wherever candidates were allegedly prevented from filing nominations due to law-and-order issues, and to postpone publication of the final candidates' list until October 25, Live Law reported.

Source: Live Law

The bench also ordered the Director General of Police to ensure police protection to candidates and CCTV coverage at nomination centres, sought compliance reports from the poll panel and the State, and posted the matter for its next hearing on October 27. The court observed that free and fair elections are part of the Constitution's basic structure and that the right to file nominations is integral to the electoral process.

The case was filed by the Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP), which alleged — as an allegation, not an established finding — that violence and intimidation prevented its candidates from filing their papers. Its counsel claimed nearly 63 per cent of candidates had been prevented and that videos showed nomination papers being torn. The State and the SEC opposed the plea: counsel for the government alleged the petitioner itself had instigated violence, while another counsel for the State argued the party was attempting to create a media narrative. The bench said the YSRCP had made out a prima facie case for directions.