Peaceful start to urban local body polls as Chittoor sees massive voter turn‑out

Urban local body elections began peacefully on Sunday across Chittoor, Annamayya and Sri Sathya Sai districts, with Chittoor recording a huge voter turnout. Voters in Chittoor turned up in large numbers at polling stations, while the response in Annamayya was moderate and the flow in Sri Sathya Sai remained slow during the early hours. In Sri Sathya Sai, elections are being held in six urban local bodies – Hindupur, Dharmavaram, Kadiri, Puttaparthi, Penukonda (all municipalities) and Madakasira (a Nagar Panchayat). The peaceful start follows violent clashes between political parties during the nomination phase, especially in Punganur and Rayachoti, where stone‑pelting, attacks and vehicle damage raised security concerns. To curb any repeat, more than 1,500 police personnel have been deployed in Chittoor district, covering the Chittoor Municipal Corporation and the Palamaner, Kuppam, Nagari and Punganur municipalities. Across the state, 36,351 police officers are stationed at 4,372 locations, with mobile patrols on standby and close monitoring of sensitive polling stations. The three districts together comprise 13 urban local bodies and 905,669 registered voters – 462,778 women, 442,779 men and 112 voters from other categories. Annamayya reported 31 election‑related cases and 51 arrests between 15 October and 29 October, prompting heightened vigilance. Polling will continue until 5 p.m. on Sunday, and vote counting is slated for 3 November.

Context

These elections decide municipal representatives who manage local services such as water, roads and waste. High security presence reflects past nomination‑stage violence and the importance of a smooth voting process for local governance.