Turnout climbs to 37 per cent in Andhra urban polls as clashes mar voting in Pulivendula

UPDATE - follow-up to Andhra civic polls: TDP, YSRCP workers clash in Pulivendula; 22.08% turnout by 11 a.m. | LIVE: Andhra Pradesh recorded a voter turnout of 37.13% by 1 p.m. on Sunday during elections across 100 urban local bodies, even as political clashes broke out in Pulivendula.

Voting Progress And Turnout

About 35.97 lakh of the 96.89 lakh eligible voters cast their votes by afternoon. Smaller towns saw faster voting compared to large cities, with Kanigiri recording the highest turnout at 63.36%. Meanwhile, Visakhapatnam registered the lowest corporation turnout at 27.55%.

Clashes And Allegations

Workers from the ruling Telugu Desam Party and the opposition YSR Congress Party hurled stones in Pulivendula, the home turf of YSRCP chief Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy. Kurnool Range DIG Koya Praveen stated that police worked to restore normalcy, deploying around 1,000 personnel with drones and CCTV cameras in the town. Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy accused the State Election Commission of failing to ensure a fair election and alleged that journalists were beaten up and polling agents barred. Minister Nara Lokesh countered that the YSRCP came well prepared for trouble in Kadapa district.

Context

Urban local body elections in Andhra Pradesh cover municipal corporations, municipalities, and nagar panchayats to elect local representatives. State election authorities monitor these high-stakes polls through webcasting and extensive security deployments to manage sensitive voting booths.