Clashes and rigging claims mar urban local body polls in Kurnool, Nandyal and Anantapur

Sporadic clashes, rigging accusations and tense voting scenes marked the urban local body elections in Kurnool, Nandyal and Anantapur districts on Sunday. In Kurnool, Industries and Commerce Minister T.G. Bharath Gupta confronted a YSR Congress Party leader in ward 4 at the Bandimetta polling station after the leader entered without a valid election ID; the leader left following police intervention. At a booth in ward 13, a woman was denied a vote because her ballot had already been cast, prompting Mr Gupta to question election officials over lapses that allowed duplicate voting. Mr Gupta, who voted at Tanguturi Prakasam Panthulu school, accused YSRCP leaders of trying to terrorise voters by using known history‑sheeters as polling agents and said NDA leaders kept restraint despite the provocations. In Nandyal, MP Byreddy Shabari toured polling booths, reported YSRCP activists pressuring voters in queues to choose the party’s symbol, and warned that attempts to win through fraudulent votes would fail. Anantapur Municipal Corporation saw minor clashes in a few divisions and reports of rigging at certain booths. Voter turnout by 5 p.m. was 53.77 % in Kurnool Municipal Corporation, 67.90 % in Yemmiganur, 42.28 % in Adoni and 83.73 % in Gudur Nagar panchayat, averaging 56.01 % across the four bodies. In Nandyal district overall turnout was 51.93 % and 46.04 % in Nandyal municipality by 3 p.m. Across six urban bodies in Anantapur district, 59.87 % had voted by 5 p.m.; Anantapur Municipal Corporation recorded 53.18 %, Guntakal 59.03 %, Gooty 54.93 %, Tadipatri 65.52 %, Rayadurgam 75.71 % and Kalyanadurgam 69.75 %.

Context

These incidents reflect heightened partisan tension in Andhra Pradesh’s local elections, where rival state and national parties often vie for control of municipal bodies that manage city services and local development funds.