Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh government on Saturday issued statutory rules for conducting elections to the urban local bodies (ULBs) throughout the state. Under the amended municipal laws, mayors of municipal corporations and chairpersons of municipalities and nagar panchayats will be elected directly by voters, whose names figure in the respective electoral rolls. This replaces the earlier system of their indirect election by elected and eligible ex-officio members of the corporation, municipality or the nagar panchayat.

Voters will separately elect their ward member and the mayor or chairperson representing the entire ULB. The directly elected mayor or chairperson will have a five-year term and become a member of the respective corporation or municipality by virtue of office. The government has reduced the number of deputy mayors in each municipal corporation and vice chairpersons in each municipality or nagar panchayat from two to one.

These posts will continue to be filled through indirect elections by eligible elected and ex-officio members of the corporation, municipality, or nagar panchayat. A special meeting for electing the deputy mayor or vice chairperson must be held within 15 days of the ULB’s first meeting, with at least three clear days of notice. The rules provide for quorum, nominations, party authorisation, voting by show of hands, party whips, and declaration of results.

The statutory rules for conducting the elections released on Saturday cover the electoral process, including notification, nominations, scrutiny, withdrawal of candidature, publication of contesting candidates, symbol allotment, polling and election agents, postal ballots, ballot papers or EVMs, NOTA, identification of voters, tendered and challenged votes, counting, recounting, declaration of results, and submission of expenditure accounts. Further, the state government has notified a 14-day exercise from September 8 to September 21 for identifying SC, ST, BC, and women voters in 59 ULBs, including Vizianagaram Municipal Corporation and 58 municipalities and nagar panchayats, for reservation purposes. Door-to-door identification of voters will be conducted from September 8 to September 12, followed by draft publication, claims and objections, verification, and final publication of category-wise rolls on September 21.

Electoral rolls in 41 ULBs, where delimitation had been taken up following recent High Court orders, are expected to be published within a week. In 23 ULBs facing pending High Court proceedings relating to Act 5, further action will follow the court’s orders.

Municipal administration minister Ponguru Narayana has directed officials to adhere to the timelines framed in the notification. Principal secretary S. Suresh Kumar said the department is coordinating with the State Election Commission, collectors, and municipal officials to complete the statutory preparations.

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