Andhra Pradesh urban local body polls postponed to November 1

The Andhra Pradesh SEC has postponed polling in 100 urban local bodies to November 1, with repolling scheduled for November 2 and counting on November 3. The nomination deadline has been extended in four ULBs following a Supreme Court directive.

Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh State Election Commission has postponed the polling for Urban Local Body elections in the state to November 1, following the Supreme Court direction to postpone the publication of the final list of contesting candidates to October 25 and extend the nomination process wherever necessary.

The polling in 100 Urban Local Bodies, which was earlier scheduled on October 28, has now been rescheduled to November 1.

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The State Election Commission (SEC), which had stopped the election process following the Supreme Court order on Wednesday, issued a new notification in this regard on Thursday night.

State Election Commissioner Anil Chandra Punetha announced that re-polling, if any, will be conducted on November 2, while counting of votes will be taken up on November 3.

The SEC also extended the nomination process in four ULBs – Kadapa Municipal Corporation, Rajampet Municipality, Mydukur Municipality and Tirupati Municipal Corporation.

The candidates can file nominations on October 22 and 23. Scrutiny of fresh nominations received during the extended nomination process will be taken up on October 25. The last date of withdrawal of nominations is also October 25.

The nomination process has been extended in all 32 wards of Mydukur Municipality (YSR Kadapa district), 11 wards of each of Kadapa Municipal Corporation and Rajampet Municipality (YSR Kadapa district) and 18 wards of Tirupati Municipal Corporation (Tirupati district).

The Supreme Court had directed the SEC to consider the representations made by the petitioner party (YSR Congress Party) and/or various candidates, including evidentiary material as well as electronic evidence placed before it and take a decision to extend the last date of filing nominations in Urban Local Bodies wherever it is of the view that candidates were unable to file their nominations due to the law and order situation.

According to the notification, the SEC examined the reports received from the Collectors & District Election Authorities and the Commissioners of Police / Superintendents of police in respect of 100 Urban Local Bodies and also examined the representations made by petitioner party and/or various candidates.

The Commission observed that in certain Urban Local Bodies, some candidates, who were willing to contest, have been intimidated or attacked, or their nomination papers were torn, or by any adversarial circumstance prevented such candidates from filing nominations.

The Commission also observed that those incidents have occurred in four Urban Local Bodies and decided to provide them an opportunity to file nominations and to take appropriate steps to ensure that they are not deprived of their opportunity to contest the Urban Local Body Elections.

The SEC had issued notifications on October 14 for conduct of the elections to 13 Municipal Corporations and 87 Municipalities / Nagar Panchayats in the State. As per the election schedule, the nomination process was conducted from October 16 to October 18, and the scrutiny of nominations was conducted by the Returning Officers / Election Officers concerned on October 19.

The last date for withdrawal of nominations was October 21.

However, on a petition by the opposition YSR Congress Party, the Supreme Court on Wednesday directed that the SEC postpone the publication of the final list of candidates till October 25 and, in the meantime, the SEC shall consider the representations made by the petitioner party and/or various candidates, including evidentiary material as well as electronic evidence placed before it and take a decision to extend the last date of filing nominations in Urban Local Bodies wherever it is of the view that candidates were unable to file their nominations due to the law and order situation.

The Supreme Court directed that such decision shall be taken by the Commission positively by October 22 and wherever the Commission chooses to extend the time, such time shall be extended not less than 48 hours from the time of publishing such decision by amending the election notification.