Political Fights Break Out During Local Body Voting in Kadapa District

Voting Day Violence

Political workers belonging to the YSRCP and the TDP clashed on Thursday morning across multiple locations in Kadapa district during the MPTC and ZPTC polls. In Yerripalli village of Pulivendla mandal, a dispute between party agents escalated when groups got into heated arguments and threw petrol bombs, though no injuries were reported from this incident. According to Pulivendla Sub-Divisional Police Officer Murali Nayak, supporters used firecrackers meant for victory celebrations to attack each other and even drained petrol from their motorcycles to intensify the fight. Police managed to bring the situation under control within five minutes. Similar troubles erupted near voting booths in R. Thummalapalli and Parnapalli villages, while stone pelting and other violence also took place in Gundlakunta village under Jammalamadugu constituency, Nandalur village in Rajampeta division, Chintarajupalli, Railway Kodur, and Badvel areas.

Allegations And Police Action

TDP members claimed that these disturbances started after Kadapa MP Y.S. Avinash Reddy visited those voting centers, accusing him of pushing his party workers to cause trouble due to fear of losing the elections. Meanwhile, Superintendent of Police Shelke Nachiket Vishwanath went to Vemula mandal to check security measures firsthand, directing officers to stay alert and keep the voting peaceful and fair. Voting started at 7 a.m. and wrapped up at 6.30 p.m. Authorities had set up special security at 167 highly sensitive booths, 134 sensitive booths, and five problematic locations.

Voter Turnout

Despite the clashes in a few pockets, overall voting remained largely peaceful with a total turnout of 71.78 percent. District Collector Dr. Sridhar Cherukuri reported that out of 4.56 lakh registered voters in the district, 3.27 lakh cast their ballots. For the 16 ZPTC seats, 3.12 lakh out of 4.32 lakh eligible people voted, marking a 72.15 percent turnout. In the polling for 55 MPTC seats, 2.06 lakh out of 3 lakh voters participated, giving a turnout of 68.74 percent.

Context

Local body polls in rural India frequently witness intense political rivalry between dominant regional parties as candidates compete for grassroots influence. Security forces typically deploy extra personnel to sensitive polling stations to prevent clashes and ensure fair participation. High voter turnout despite isolated incidents reflects strong public interest in local governance and rural representation.