The Andhra Pradesh State Election Commission has announced the schedule for local body elections, setting October 28 for urban local body polls and fixing election dates for Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituencies (MPTCs), Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituencies (ZPTCs) and Gram Panchayats. The announcement establishes a series of nomination and polling deadlines across the state’s local governance system.
SEC Commissioner Anil Chandra Punetha said at a press conference on Wednesday that elections to urban local bodies would be held on October 28. The results will be declared two days later. The last date for filing nominations for these elections is October 18.
The schedule places urban local body elections ahead of the rural local body polls. Elections for MPTCs and ZPTCs will be conducted on November 3, with results scheduled to be declared on November 5. Candidates contesting these constituencies must file their nominations by October 23, according to the State Election Commission.
The rural schedule will conclude with elections to Gram Panchayats, which will be conducted in three phases. Polling is scheduled for November 26, November 28 and December 2. The results for the Gram Panchayat elections will be declared on the same day as polling in each phase.
The announcement covers multiple levels of local administration, from urban local bodies responsible for civic services within towns and cities to rural institutions governing mandals, districts and villages. The staggered timetable separates the polling dates across these institutions and provides distinct nomination windows for urban and territorial constituency elections.
The SEC said elaborate arrangements were being made to conduct the elections in a peaceful atmosphere. The statement did not provide further details on the number of urban local bodies, constituencies or Gram Panchayats covered by the schedule.
The October 18 nomination deadline for urban local bodies is the first major milestone in the election programme. It will be followed by the October 23 deadline for MPTC and ZPTC nominations, before polling begins with urban local bodies on October 28. The commission’s schedule will then move to territorial constituency elections on November 3 and the three-phase Gram Panchayat polls later in November and early December.
With the announcement, candidates, political parties and election officials have fixed dates for nominations, polling and counting across the local body system. The State Election Commission’s next operational steps will involve implementing the announced timetable and completing arrangements for the successive rounds of voting.
