Even as the outcome of the by-elections to Badvel assembly seat to be declared on Tuesday is a foregone conclusion with ruling YSR Congress party all set to grab it with a thumping majority, it’s time for yet another electoral battle in Andhra Pradesh.
The State Election Commission, headed by Neelam Sawhney, on Monday announced the schedule for the conduct of elections to 12 municipalities and Nellore Municipal Corporation, which have been pending for quite some time.
Besides, elections would also be held in other municipalities, panchayats, ZPTC and MPTCs, where the polling had to be cancelled due to the death of the candidates. These elections would be held on November 14,15 and 16.
The municipalities that would go to elections are: Akiveedu, Jaggayyapet, Kondapalli, Dachepalli, Gurajala, Darsi, Buchireddypalem, Kuppam, Bethamcharla, Kamalapuram, Rajampet and Penukonda.
The notification would be issued on November 3 and nominations would be received till November 5.
Polling to these municipalities and Nellore corporation would be held on November 15 and the counting of votes would be done on November 17.
The elections for 69 sarpanches and 533 ward members in 498 gram panchayats, will be held on November 14 and the results would be declared on the same day.
The polling for pending ZPTC and MPTC seats would be held on November 16 and results would be declared in November 18.
The focus is mostly on Kuppam, represented by TDP president and former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu.
The YSRC, which bagged all the ZPTCS, 90 per cent of the MPTCs and gram panchayats in Kuppam thereby decimating the TDP, is hell-bent on capturing Kuppam municipality as well.
However, during his recent visit to Kuppam, Naidu instructed all his party leaders and cadres to see that the TDP retained at least Kuppam municipality. It remains to be seen whether Naidu will succeed in his attempt.