Andhra local body polls marred by nomination violence, court intervention

YSRCP and TDP trade allegations as candidates report obstruction and police record 31 election-related incidents across 13 districts

Durga Prasad Sunku

27 Oct, 2026

Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh

8mins read

Andhra local body polls marred by nomination violence, court intervention

YSRCP and TDP trade allegations as candidates report obstruction and police record 31 election-related incidents across 13 districts

Durga Prasad Sunku

27 Oct, 2026

Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh

8mins read

Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh: Nandimandalam Prasanthi, nine months pregnant and contesting as the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) candidate for the Vedururu Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituency (MPTC) seat, was trying to file her nomination when, she alleged, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) supporters blocked her path in Vedururu village in Kadapa district.

YSRCP chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy alleged that TDP members seized Prasanthi’s nomination papers and tore them up. Her case is among several incidents reported during the nomination process for Andhra Pradesh’s local body elections, with the YSRCP alleging that its candidates were prevented from filing papers in several places.

The dispute reached the Supreme Court after the YSRCP alleged that its candidates had been prevented from filing nominations. On October 21, the court directed the Andhra Pradesh State Election Commission (APSEC) not to publish the final list of candidates until October 25 and asked it to consider extending the nomination deadline where candidates had been prevented from filing their papers.

Following the court’s directions, the APSEC extended the nomination period until October 24 for the Kadapa Municipal Corporation, Rajampet Municipality and Mydukur Municipality in Kadapa district, and the Tirupati Municipal Corporation.
Andhra Pradesh is holding elections to urban local bodies, MPTCs and Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituencies (ZPTCs), followed by gram panchayat elections. The first phase of polling for urban local bodies has been rescheduled for November 1, while MPTC and ZPTC polling is scheduled for November 3.

MPTCs and ZPTCs form part of the state’s three-tier rural local government system. Voters elect an MPTC member from each constituency in a mandal and a ZPTC member from each constituency in a district. The elected MPTC members choose the Mandal Parishad president, while ZPTC members elect the Zilla Parishad chairperson.

The elections cover 9,829 MPTC seats and 659 ZPTC seats, with about 2.81 crore eligible voters, according to the State Election Commission. Urban local body elections are being held separately.

YSRCP candidates being stopped by police from going to the nomination centres in Darsi in Prakasam district (Photo - YSRCP, 101Reporters)

What the YSRCP alleges

Jagan has accused the ruling TDP of using intimidation and violence to prevent opposition candidates from filing nominations. He alleged that party workers threatened prospective candidates, intimidated opposition leaders and crowded nomination centres, calling the alleged practice “nomination-centre rigging”.

The YSRCP has alleged that nomination papers were seized or torn, candidates were prevented from entering nomination centres, and some nominations were later rejected or withdrawn under pressure. The party has also accused the State Election Commission of failing to adequately respond to complaints.

In a report covering 23 urban local bodies, the YSRCP claimed that nominations were blocked in several wards. It alleged that all wards were affected in Punganur, Rayachoti, Piduguralla, Yerraguntla, Kamalapuram, Gurazala and Dachepalli. In Kadapa, it said nominations were blocked in 55 of 66 wards, while in Darsi they were blocked in 25 of 28 wards.
The party has also alleged forged withdrawals. In Nandyal, it said Ward 51 candidate Avvari Nagamani’s nomination was accepted during scrutiny but was later withdrawn using a forged signature, after which the TDP candidate was declared elected unopposed on October 21. In Nagari, it alleged that the nomination of chairperson candidate E.V. Balakrishnan was accepted and acknowledged on October 19, but the final list contained only the TDP candidate.
The YSRCP has released videos and other material documenting alleged attacks, including the incident involving Prasanthi, an alleged assault on a woman in Dharmavaram and an incident in which a police officer was accused of pointing a gun at a chairperson candidate in Jammalamadugu.

YSRCP MP Midhun Reddy injured in attack (Photo - YSRCP, 101Reporters)

Dispute over nomination numbers

The YSRCP has also questioned a sharp increase in the number of MPTC and ZPTC nominations recorded between October 21 and October 22.

Citing State Election Commission data, Jagan said MPTC nominations increased from 1,918 on October 21 to 10,501 the next day, while ZPTC nominations rose from 192 to 900. The party alleged that the TDP-led alliance filed nominations in the YSRCP’s name to create the impression that its candidates had been able to contest, but that these nominations did not have the required Form A or Form B.

The YSRCP report said such nominations could be withdrawn before scrutiny.

Naidu denies obstruction

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu denied the YSRCP’s allegations of obstruction during the nomination process and accused Jagan of instigating violence before using the courts to portray his party as the victim.

Naidu described the unrest as “a calculated attempt” to prevent the local body elections from being conducted freely and fairly. He said incidents had been reported from several places, including Punganur, Rayachoti, Pulivendula, Kadiri, Kanigiri, Chandragiri, Pattikonda, Tirupati, Thamballapalle, Kadapa and Rajampet.

He rejected the claim that candidates were being prevented from filing nominations. He said that after the State Election Commission ordered additional security, police escorted candidates to nomination centres in official vehicles.

Naidu cited 51,902 nominations for the 9,829 MPTC seats, including 27,772 filed by the TDP-led alliance and 20,556 by the opposition. For the 659 ZPTC seats, he said there were 5,724 nominations, of which 3,012 were filed by the alliance and 1,815 by the opposition.

He also said the government would not tolerate violence, but argued that political parties had to protect their workers. “People will only support you if they believe you can protect them,” he said, describing his party workers as “wounded soldiers” facing criminal cases.

Police record 31 election-related incidents
The Andhra Pradesh Director General of Police’s office said 31 election-related incidents had been reported in 13 districts as of October 22. Of these, 22 involved violence, clashes or other public-order disturbances, while nine involved the snatching or destruction of nomination papers. The police recorded 16 cases in which nomination papers were snatched, torn or destroyed.

Anantapur recorded the highest number of incidents, with eight, followed by Annamayya, Kadapa, Prakasam and Tirupati with three each. The incidents included vehicles being set on fire, attacks on houses, stone-pelting and road blockades. A police constable suffered a serious head injury and two people, including a candidate, were critically injured, according to the police.

The police said nomination papers were destroyed at the entrances of Mandal Parishad offices, inside nomination centres and, in one case, inside a Returning Officer’s office. They registered 16 FIRs, including counter-cases, and named at least 54 accused. Four people were apprehended at the scene.

DGP Harish Kumar Gupta described the destruction of nomination papers as “a direct attack” on the right to contest elections. The police said those affected included candidates from the TDP, YSRCP, CPI(M) and an independent candidate.

Ramachalla ramadevi (wife of the former YSRCP MLA from Proddatur, Rachamallu Siva Prasad Reddy) is seen questioning police at the nomination centre in Prodduturu (Photo - YSRCP, 101Reporters)

What the violence means for Rayalaseema

J Purnachandra Rao, a former Andhra Pradesh director general of police and national coordinator of the All India Bahujan Samaj Party, said the violence could discourage people from marginalised communities from entering the electoral contest.

He said clashes, particularly in Rayalaseema and surrounding areas, could create fear among prospective candidates from Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Muslim communities. He criticised both the TDP and YSRCP for treating political power as an entitlement of their respective caste bases.

Rao compared the current situation with the intimidation seen during earlier local body elections under Jagan’s administration, saying the present government was repeating those tactics on a larger scale. He said the absence of comparable judicial intervention at that time made the Supreme Court’s current intervention

Gutta Rohit, an Andhra Pradesh High Court advocate and Andhra Pradesh secretary of the Human Rights Forum, said the Supreme Court order was not explicitly in favour of the YSRCP but was “clearly adverse” to the state

Rohit said local body elections are closely watched by political parties because they take place midway through a government’s term and can indicate the political mood ahead of the next Assembly and general elections. He compared the violence in Rayalaseema with patterns seen in the region during the 1990s and questioned what had changed by by 2026.

He also warned that violence could undermine plans to promote Rayalaseema as a manufacturing hub by weakening confidence in the rule of law and democratic institutions.

Cover Image - In Rayachoti, Annamayya district of Andhra Pradesh, several vehicles near the YSRCP office were set on fire, reportedly by TDP supporters (Photo - YSRCP, 101Reporters)

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