Vote counting starts for Andhra Pradesh municipal polls across 92 bodies

Counting of votes for municipal elections across 92 urban local bodies in Andhra Pradesh began at 8 am on Tuesday, election officials said. The polls were held on November 1 and recorded an overall voter turnout of 60.96 percent. A repoll in 12 wards across seven urban local bodies in five districts on Monday saw a turnout of 60.64 percent. The results will determine the fate of 520 candidates contesting mayoral and chairperson seats and more than 10,000 candidates for councilor and corporator posts by Tuesday evening.

Party Contest

The ruling NDA alliance split the 13 mayoral contests among its partners: the Telugu Desam Party ran in ten corporations, Jana Sena in two and the Bharatiya Janata Party in one. The YSR Congress Party fielded candidates in all 13 mayoral races, setting up direct battles with the alliance partners. For the 87 municipalities and nagar panchayats, chairperson candidates were elected unanimously in 17 places, leaving 70 contested. TDP contested 49 chairperson positions, Jana Sena 17 and BJP four, while YSRCP nominated candidates in every one of the 70 constituencies.

Context

Municipal elections in Andhra Pradesh are held every five years and decide local leadership for cities and towns. High voter participation, above 60 percent, signals strong public interest in urban governance. The split of mayoral seats among alliance partners reflects the coalition’s strategy to avoid internal competition while challenging the YSRCP’s statewide dominance.