Sporadic violence mars MPTC, ZPTC polls in AP

Amaravati: Polling for the Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituency (MPTC) and Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituency (ZPTC) elections across Andhra Pradesh concluded at 5:00 pm on Thursday, amid scattered incidents of violence, clashes, and allegations of electoral irregularities in several districts. The voter turnout stood at 58.55 per cent by 3:00 pm, with officials expecting the final figure to reach 65-70 per cent.

Elections were held for 582 ZPTC and 7,767 MPTC seats, while candidates in 77 ZPTC and 2,051 MPTC seats were declared elected unanimously. A total of 21,012 candidates contested the remaining seats. Polling began at 7:00 am, and voters in several rural and coastal areas turned out enthusiastically. Srikakulam recorded the highest number of MPTC seats contested and votes cast. In Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli and the Manyam agency region, polling was largely completed by 3:00 pm. In certain remote areas of Manyam, voting was restricted to 3:00 pm to facilitate the transportation of ballot boxes to strong rooms.

The overall polling process was largely peaceful, although tense situations and isolated clashes were reported in Rayalaseema and Palnadu. In Pulivendula's Erripalle village in Kadapa district, opposing groups allegedly hurled petrol bombs and stones when they attempted to enter a polling booth. Police resorted to a lathi-charge to disperse them. Tension was also reported in Jammalamadugu, Badvel, Kalasapadu, Gopavaram, and Nandaluru. In Ramapuram, the husband of a YSRCP candidate allegedly poured ink into a ballot box, prompting a complaint from the TDP.

In Gummanuru of Kurnool district, a clash between rival groups over polling agents escalated into attacks with stones and sticks, leaving several people injured.

In Palnadu's Ammupalla, women complained to the collector that they were being prevented from voting. When some attempted to obstruct the collector's vehicle, police resorted to a lathi-charge. A similar confrontation was reported at Vengalayapalem in Guntur district. In Prakasam district, YSRCP agents in Mundlamuru and Taluru alleged that they were forcibly removed from polling stations.

Srikakulam recorded the highest number of MPTC seats contested and votes cast. In Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli and the Manyam agency region, polling was largely completed by 3:00 pm. In certain remote areas of Manyam, voting was restricted to 3:00 pm to facilitate the transportation of ballot boxes to strong rooms.

The overall polling process was largely peaceful, although tense situations and isolated clashes were reported in Rayalaseema and Palnadu. In Pulivendula’s Erripalle village in Kadapa district, opposing groups allegedly hurled petrol bombs and stones when they attempted to enter a polling booth. Police resorted to a lathi-charge to disperse them. Tension was also reported in Jammalamadugu, Badvel, Kalasapadu, Gopavaram, and Nandaluru. In Ramapuram, the husband of a YSRCP candidate allegedly poured ink into a ballot box, prompting a complaint from the TDP.

In Gummanuru of Kurnool district, a clash between rival groups over polling agents escalated into attacks with stones and sticks, leaving several people injured.

In Palnadu’s Ammupalla, women complained to the collector that they were being prevented from voting. When some attempted to obstruct the collector’s vehicle, police resorted to a lathi-charge. A similar confrontation was reported at Vengalayapalem in Guntur district. In Prakasam district, YSRCP agents in Mundlamuru and Taluru alleged that they were forcibly removed from polling stations.

In Nerametla village of Anantapur district, the YSRCP announced a boycott, alleging that its agents were denied entry. At Marutla, TDP and YSRCP traded allegations of ballot box seizure and destruction of ballot papers, with both sides submitting complaints to the Returning Officer. Clashes were also reported in Polepalli and Marutla 2nd Colony, where two police constables were injured. In Annamayya district’s Lakshmi Reddy Gari Palli, a confrontation between TDP and YSRCP groups resulted in ballot boxes being thrown out of a polling booth.

Heavy rain in Kakinada district left several premises with polling stations waterlogged, forcing officials to deploy motors to drain water and make temporary arrangements for voters. Polling could not be conducted in five mandals due to heavy rainfall and has been postponed to Friday.

The SEC will decide on re-polling wherever necessary after examining reports from collectors and election officials. The Commission said no major untoward incident had been reported so far and that webcasting and additional security steps at sensitive and hypersensitive polling stations helped maintain order. In Tirupati district, SP Subbarayudu dismissed reports of a petrol bomb attack in Penagaluru as false, clarifying that it was a minor scuffle between two individuals.

In a tragic incident, a polling official deployed at Kadadarakunta Polling Station in Kudair mandal of Anantapur district died after suffering a heart attack while on duty. Counting of votes and declaration of results for the Parishad elections are scheduled for November 7.

Earlier, State Election Commissioner Anil Chandra Punetha inspected several polling centres in NTR and Krishna districts on Thursday and reviewed the polling arrangements. During his visits, Anil interacted with polling personnel and made enquiries about voter facilities, polling procedures, and security arrangements. He also spoke to voters to ascertain whether they were facing any inconvenience and whether adequate amenities had been provided at the polling centres. Both voters and polling staff informed him that all necessary facilities were available and that no difficulties had been encountered.

Anil said polling was progressing smoothly across the state and that voters were exercising their franchise in a peaceful atmosphere. As part of his field-level assessment, Anil visited polling stations at the Railway Wagon Workshop in Guntupalli of Ibrahimpatnam mandal, Pathapadu in Vijayawada Rural mandal, and the Zilla Parishad Boys’ High School in Gannavaram. Anil said all political parties were also cooperating in the conduct of elections.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

K Varaprasada Rao

K Varaprasada Rao[email protected]

K Varaprasada Rao is a Senior Reporter with The Hans India, covering the Andhra Pradesh Secretariat, Chief Minister's Office (CMO), State Legislative Assembly, Legislative Council and political affairs. With over 20 years of experience in journalism in Andhra Pradesh, he has extensively reported on governance, public policy, politics, and socio-economic issues that shape the state's development and influence the country's evolving landscape. He holds a postgraduate degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. His reporting focuses on finance, industries, irrigation, agriculture, infrastructure, investment, public administration, and political developments, with a particular interest in analysing their long-term economic and social impact.

Read More