YSR Congress Party president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has accused Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, the police and the State Election Commission of engineering the ruling alliance's victory in Andhra Pradesh's urban local body polls, according to Deccan Chronicle. His statement came as counting of votes for the second general election of the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) got under way at Andhra University on Tuesday.
In a post on X, Jagan said the opposition was never given a fair chance to compete and described the exercise as a selection of candidates rather than an election. He congratulated Naidu's team, the police and the SEC in sarcastic terms, saying they had shown how to win "spectacularly" by shutting rivals out.
Why it matters
The municipal results strengthen the National Democratic Alliance's hold over urban local bodies in Andhra Pradesh at a time when the YSRCP is seeking to rebuild after its defeat in the 2024 assembly elections. Jagan's allegations, if they gain traction, could keep the credibility of the state's electoral machinery in the spotlight and shape the political narrative ahead of future contests.
The outcome also carries symbolic weight. The Telugu Desam Party-led alliance won municipalities in Kadapa district, including Pulivendula, which is regarded as a YSRCP stronghold and Jagan's home turf.
Counting under way in Visakhapatnam
Voting for the GVMC was counted across 113 halls and 1,507 tables spread over the North and South campuses of Andhra University, with proceedings beginning at 8 am. Eight blocks were set up at the North Campus and two at the South Campus.
By 8:50 am, Deccan Chronicle reported, TDP had taken 53 votes in the mayoral contest, the YSRCP 29, Congress two and other candidates 31. Ward-level trends at that stage showed TDP ahead in eight wards, the YSRCP in five, Jana Sena in two, the BJP in one and an independent in one.
Jana Sena's mayoral candidate in Vijayawada, Vangaveeti Radhakrishna, was leading, and NDA coalition candidates made a clean sweep of municipalities in the undivided Krishna district. In Pithapuram municipality, rebel candidates won 10 of the 36 wards, Jana Sena candidates took 16 and three were elected unopposed.
A dispute over process
Jagan's complaint was detailed. He listed nomination, scrutiny, withdrawal, polling agents, the poll itself, the poll percentage and counting as stages at which he said the process was manipulated. Polling agents, he said, were either obstructed or pulled out. He argued that the need for electoral reform had rarely been clearer and tagged the Election Commission of India in his post.
Separately, The New Indian Express reported that the YSRCP chief accused the State Election Commission of acting at the Chief Minister's behest. The Hindu reported that polling across the state was largely peaceful, but that Jagan demanded a repoll in Pulivendula following clashes.
The NDA side pushed back. Times of India reported that TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh accused the YSRCP of creating tensions around the Pulivendula polls. The News Minute, meanwhile, reported that journalists covering the civic polls were attacked and threatened with removal from polling booths.
The counting in Visakhapatnam and the final tallies from municipalities across the state are expected to settle the shape of the new urban bodies, while the disputes raised by the opposition are likely to continue beyond the results.
