Counting of votes in the Andhra Pradesh municipal elections began on Tuesday, with weather and local disputes disrupting proceedings in several places and the first trends showing the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) ahead in some early counts.
Counting began at 8 am across 138 counting centres for the 92 urban local bodies that went to the polls, with results expected around 8 pm. The contest has been between the ruling TDP-Jana Sena-BJP alliance and the opposition YSR Congress Party (YSRCP).
Pulivendula
The Andhra Pradesh High Court dismissed petitions filed by YSRCP seeking a halt to counting and repolling in all wards of Pulivendula municipality, clearing the way for the count to proceed. The petitioners, YSRCP chairperson candidate Y.S. Pramila and Kadapa MP Y.S. Avinash Reddy, had sought repolling in all remaining wards, in addition to the four wards where the State Election Commission had already ordered a repoll. The petitioners alleged rigging and malpractice during the November 1 polling, which the ruling party has denied.
Tension was reported at the Pulivendula counting centre after officials said only the candidate or one agent would be allowed inside, despite two passes having been issued earlier. Candidates questioned officials over the change, citing space constraints.
Separately, police have registered a case against former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy for allegedly staging a sit-in outside the municipal office on polling day without permission, in violation of election rules, according to reports. Jagan had protested over his party’s polling agents being allegedly barred from polling booths. The case details are yet to be confirmed through an official police statement.
Cyclone Murasu disruption
Severe Cyclone Murasu, which reportedly crossed the coast near Ongole with winds of around 120 km/h, brought heavy rain to parts of the state. The State Election Commission postponed the start of counting in Prakasam and Bapatla districts from 8 am to 11:30 am, while the schedule remained unchanged elsewhere.
In Nuzvid in Eluru district, tents erected at the counting centre reportedly collapsed in heavy rain, flooding the premises. Authorities in NTR district declared a holiday for educational institutions due to the rain threat.
Other incidents
In Parvathipuram, counting was delayed after the key to the strong room storing electronic voting machines could not be found, drawing criticism from candidates and agents. In Punganur in Annamayya district, Jana Sena agents objected to officials counting invalid votes cast for the TDP in Ward 9, leading to an argument between the two sides.
Early trends
In Kuppam, the TDP reportedly swept the postal ballots, with chairperson candidate Rajkumar receiving all of them. In Narsipatnam in Anakapalli district, TDP candidate Lalam Muralikrishna won Ward 1 by a margin of 430 votes, while Golusu Sumaja won Ward 9.
Full results are expected later in the evening.