Municipal body elections begin in Andhra Pradesh

People waiting in queues outside polling station 2 of the 55th ward in Rajarajeswari Peta of Vijayawada where voting started at 9 am. The delay was caused by a typographical error in the allocation of party symbols to two candidates. Photo: KVS Giri

The election of mayors, chairmen and ward members in 13 municipal corporations and 79 municipalities and Nagar Panchayats in Andhra Pradesh began at 7 am amid tight security.

State Election Commissioner Anil Chandra Punetha and his team of officers are personally monitoring the conduct of the elections, for which elaborate arrangements have been made, including installation of CCTV cameras and deployment of drones at places where clashes are expected.

Due attention was paid to the maintenance of law and order in view of the violent incidents that marred the nomination process. Tight security was ensured in a total of 142 critical, 7,070 sensitive and 4,262 hypersensitive polling stations in the urban local bodies.

Violations of the Model Code of Conduct are closely monitored. Voting is scheduled to end at 5:00 p.m. and a possible repeat vote will take place on November 2.

Published – November 1, 2026 11:30 AM IST