Municipal Nomination Process Ends Amid Political Tensions
Andhra Pradesh’s urban local body nomination process ended amid political tensions, with the SEC reviewing complaints and scrutiny scheduled for October 19.
The nomination process for urban local body elections in Andhra Pradesh concluded on Sunday amid political tensions, with candidates and leaders crowding Returning Officers’ offices across the State. Officials accepted papers from all candidates who reached the offices by the 3 pm deadline.
YSR Congress (YSRC) leaders complained to election authorities in several places that they were being prevented from filing nominations. The State Election Commission (SEC) contacted officials in the districts concerned and reviewed the situation.
Scrutiny of nominations will be held on Monday, October 19, while October 21 is the last date for withdrawal. Polling is scheduled for October 28, with counting and declaration of results on October 30.
The process witnessed significant developments in several municipalities. In Gurazala, no YSRC candidate filed nominations, raising the possibility of an unopposed victory for the ruling alliance. The party also failed to field candidates in Punganur, where NDA alliance nominees, along with candidates from the CPI and SDPI, entered the fray.
In Rayachoti, no YSRC candidate filed nominations for either the chairperson’s post or councillor seats. In Piduguralla, YSRC chairperson candidate Sheikh Abdullah reached the nomination centre 20 minutes after the deadline and could not file his papers. In Darsi, the YSRC chairperson nominee and 25 councillor candidates also missed the deadline.
Meanwhile, Telugu Desam mayoral candidate Kovelamudi Lakshmi Aparna filed her nomination for the Guntur Municipal Corporation elections in the presence of Union Minister of State for Communications and Rural Development Pemmasani Chandrasekhar, local MLAs Naseer Ahmed, Burla Ram Anjaneyulu and Galla Madhavi, and other alliance leaders.
Pemmasani said the coalition government was committed to the comprehensive development of Telugu people and had prepared plans to implement development and welfare programmes in Guntur on a war footing.
He said Lakshmi Aparna was selected in recognition of the Kovelamudi family’s 15 years of service to the party. Expressing confidence in the alliance’s prospects, he predicted a decisive TD victory in the Guntur mayoral election.