Andhra Pradesh municipal polls begin with clashes and slow early turnout

UPDATE - follow-up to Polling begins for 100 urban local bodies in Andhra Pradesh | LIVE: Voting is underway across 100 urban local bodies, 13 municipal corporations and 87 municipalities and nagar panchayats in Andhra Pradesh, with polling starting at 7 a.m. and closing set for 5 p.m. Votes will be counted on November 3.

Clashes And Incidents

Workers of the Telugu Desam Party and the YSR Congress Party clashed in Pulivendula, the home turf of YSRCP chief and former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy. Stones were thrown in wards 11 and 12, and groups pushed and jostled in several other wards before police brought the situation under control. Hours earlier, at midnight near an orchard belonging to one Madhusudhan Reddy, three cars, ten motorcycles and a tractor were burnt. Police stated the culprits behind the vehicle arson remain unknown.

Voter Turnout

State Election Commissioner Anil Chandra Punetha noted that polling elsewhere has been largely peaceful. Visakhapatnam recorded the lowest turnout among the 13 corporations at 3.34 percent by 9 a.m., with 61,309 votes cast out of 18.38 lakh voters. Madhurawada zone led Vizag with 5.87 percent, while the South Assembly constituency was lowest at 1.81 percent. Punganur reached 14.41 percent and Vijayawada saw 7.79 percent. Additionally, eight local bodies—Allagadda, Dachepalli, Darsi, Gurajala, Kamalapuram, Piduguralla, Proddatur and Rayachoti—did not vote as their chairpersons and ward members were elected unopposed after earlier polls were delayed by the Supreme Court over nomination disputes.

Administrative Updates

In Vijayawada Municipal Corporation, authorities fixed a printing error involving election symbols for two candidates in Division 55 of the RR Peta area. Voting also proceeded smoothly in Bapatla district's Chirala and Repalle municipalities, where officials monitored proceedings via webcasting from the Collectorate and Repalle saw a 13.5 percent turnout in the first two hours across 36 polling stations.

Context

State-level civic elections in India often see intense local political rivalries between major regional parties, prompting heavy security deployments by election authorities. Local body polls determine key leadership for municipal administration and grassroots governance across urban and semi-urban regions.