Polling in the Andhra Pradesh municipal elections is under way, having begun at 7 am and set to continue until 5 pm. The state has 96,89,061 voters across 3,453 wards. By noon, 21,39,625 voters had cast their ballots, putting the statewide turnout at 22.08 percent, election officials said. Although polling started a little late, turnout picked up in the afternoon as voters arrived in large numbers.
Tension was reported in several districts. In Pulivendula, Kadapa district, unrest began around midnight, when vehicles belonging to people attending a family function were attacked and three cars and a tractor were set on fire.
Former Chief Minister YS Jagan’s helicopter landing at Pulivendula also became a flashpoint. Permission granted a day earlier was withdrawn at the last minute, and Collector Cherukuri Sridhar said landing would be allowed only after 2.30 pm. The State Election Commission (SEC) later clarified that the collector had rejected the permission on the basis of a report from the Kadapa SP, which warned of possible clashes between rival groups if Jagan arrived. Following the SEC’s strong intervention, permission has reportedly been granted.
In Pulivendula’s 31st ward, YSRCP woman agent Sunanda was attacked while entering a polling booth with the required documents and was rushed to hospital, leaving the situation at the booth tense. At the Saraswati Vidya Mandir polling station in the 38th ward, TDP and YSRCP workers clashed, with the scene described as resembling a battlefield. In Anantapur’s 35th, 38th and 40th divisions, YSRCP leaders objected to non-locals allegedly being brought in to cast bogus votes, triggering heavy scuffles and arguments between workers of the two parties.
Separately, Dastagiri, an approver in the YS Vivekananda Reddy murder case, tried to block Jagan’s convoy in Pulivendula. Expressing anger at Jagan and claiming he had ruined his life, he attempted to stage a protest in front of the convoy and tried to rush towards Jagan’s vehicle, but police stopped him immediately. Jagan, though informed of Dastagiri’s presence, did not respond.
In Vijayawada Corporation’s 55th division, polling was halted after a symbol mix-up on the ballot paper. YSRCP candidate Shaik Hasan Basha was shown with the “hand” symbol and Congress candidate Sharif Shaik with the “fan” symbol, although Form-11 issued by the Returning Officer (RO) carried the correct symbols. Candidates of both parties objected strongly, and the YSRCP candidate lodged a complaint demanding to know whether the error was negligence or deliberate. On the orders of RO Chakravarthy, fresh ballot papers were printed, and polling resumed after a delay of about two hours.