23 AP ULBs Will Witness Polls On Nov. 26 In Second Phase
Elections to 23 urban local bodies, including four municipal corporations, in Andhra Pradesh will be held on November 26, with counting scheduled for November 30.
Vijayawada: Elections to 23 urban local bodies (ULBs), including four municipal corporations, will be held during the second phase of polls in Andhra Pradesh on November 26 from 7 am to 5 pm.
Counting of votes will be on November 30 from 8 a.m.
State Election Commissioner Anil Chandra Punetha issued a notification in this regard on Thursday.
Returning officers concerned will issue public notices on November 14 and nominations will be accepted from the same day between 11 am and 3 pm.
The last date and time for filing nominations is November 16, up to 3 pm.
Scrutiny of nominations will be held on November 17 from 11 am.
The deadline for withdrawal of nominations is up to 3 pm on November 19.
The list of contesting candidates will be published after 3 pm on the same day.
Polling will be held on November 26.
Re-polling, if required, will take place on November 27 from 7 am to 5 pm.
Counting will begin on November 30 at 8 am.
The four municipal corporations going to polls are Srikakulam with 60 wards, Kakinada with 66, Rajamahendravaram with 72, and Mangalagiri-Tadepalli with 62 wards.
The 19 municipalities and nagar panchayats where elections will be held during the second phase are Amadalavalasa, Rajam, Palacole, Tanuku, Bhimavaram, Tadepalligudem, Chinthalapudi, Tadigadapa, Gudivada, Ponnur, Bapatla, Narasaraopeta, Kandukur, Podili, Gudur (Nellore), Kavali, Alluru, Srikalahasti, and B. Kothakota.
These have a total of 749 wards.
A total of 24,98,152 voters, including 12,92,989 women, are eligible to vote across 1,009 wards.
Election authorities have set up 2,801 polling stations and appointed 283 returning officers and election officers.
Reserved wards across the 23 ULBs number 41 for STs, 141 for SCs, and 321 for BCs.
Of these, 12 ST, 66 SC, and 155 BC wards are reserved for women.
In addition, 270 general wards are reserved for women, taking the total number of wards reserved for women across all categories to 503.
A total of 506 wards are reserved for general categories, while 236 are unreserved.
The mayoral posts in the four municipal corporations have been reserved as follows: Mangalagiri-Tadepalli for ST (General), Rajamahendravaram for SC (General), Kakinada for BC (Women), and Srikakulam for Women (General).
Of the 19 chairperson posts in municipalities and nagar panchayats, eight are reserved for women and 11 for general category.
The maximum election expenditure limit has been fixed at ₹40 lakh for the mayor of GVMC, ₹15 lakh for a GVMC ward member.
For other municipal corporations, the limits are ₹25 lakh for the mayor and ₹10 lakh for a ward member.
The expense limits for municipalities are ₹20 lakh for chairperson and ₹7.5 lakh for a ward member, while those for nagar panchayats are ₹10 lakh and ₹5 lakh, respectively.
Punetha told media on Thursday that maintaining law and order in the areas going to polls would be a priority.
He said district administrations should facilitate the filing of nominations and provide police security to candidates wherever necessary.
He wanted nomination centres to be located in district headquarters.
Police escorts should be provided to candidates filing nominations in trouble-prone areas, as required, the State Election Commissioner said, adding that steps should be taken to ensure free and fair polling.
He called for CCTV cameras and videography at nomination centres, polling stations, strong rooms, and counting centres, in accordance with Supreme Court directions.
Election-related complaints should be addressed as per the prescribed norms, he said.
