Even before the commotion over the conduct of gram panchayat elections has died down, the Andhra Pradesh state election commission announced the schedule for the conduct of elections to municipalities and municipal corporations in the state.
Interestingly, SEC Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar on Monday announced that the process for municipal elections which began in March 2020 but was stalled due to the Coronavirus pandemic, would restart from where it was kept in abeyance.
The process will begin with withdrawal of nominations on March 2 and 3. The final list of candidates will be announced on March 3.
The polling will be conducted on March 10 and re-polling, if required, will be held on March 13. Counting of votes will take place on March 14.
In all, 75 municipalities and Nagar Panchayats, besides 12 municipal corporations will go to polls on March 10.
Though the gram panchayat elections are being held on non-party basis, the candidates had openly flaunted their political affiliations.
The YSR Congress party naturally had advantage in gram panchayat polls, since it can get the unanimous elections done in its favour, apart from claiming that all those who get elected are from their party.
But in elections for municipalities, nagar panchayats and municipal corporations will be held on party-basis. So, it will be clearly known which party has how much strength.
While the ruling YSRC has natural advantage in the municipal polls, too, the real test is for the Telugu Desam Party, which has to prove its strength. If it loses miserably, its political graph will further go down. If it can put up at least a reasonable show, it can regain its confidence for the next elections.