After Panchayat elections, YSRCP sweeps municipal polls in Andhra Pradesh

The ruling YSRCP has swept the municipal polls in Andhra Pradesh, dealing a major blow to Chandrababu Naidu's TDP.

Chief minister Jaganmohan Reddy's party has grabbed 11 out of the 12 city corporations and has claimed 74 out of the 75 municipalities.

Counting in Eluru is withheld, following AP high court orders.

The urban body polls were held on March 10 for 12 corporations and 71 municipalities, as in four civic bodies – Pulivendula, Punganur, Macharla, and Piduguralla – YSRCP candidates were elected unopposed. The TDP alleged that other candidates were threatened to withdraw nominations.

The urban polls followed by the Panchayat polls conducted in the state last month were too the YSRCP supported candidates emerged victorious in most of the villages.

In the four-phased polls, the YSRCP backed candidates had won about 80 per cent of the Gram Panchayats.

The two local elections outcome has shattered Naidu's hopes to revive the party which was reduced to 23 MLAs in a 175 member assembly in 2019. The former CM had campaigned vigorously, especially in Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada where the TDP was expected to perform well.

However, the opposition party looks set to win only one municipality - Tadipatri in Anantapuram district where it won 18 out of 36 wards.

The largest civic bodies in the state - Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada – went the YSRCP way.

In the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation with 98 wards, the YSRCP won 58 divisions, TDP 30, and Pawan Kalyan's JanaSena three. CPI and CPM won in the two wards where the Vizag Steel Plant is located. The Left trade unions are spearheading the agitation against the Narendra Modi government bid to privatize the steel plant. The BJP managed to win only one ward.

In Vijayawada corporation with 64 wards, YSRCP has won in 35 out of the 44 results declared, leaving the TDP only nine.

Though the TDP has won in more divisions than the YSRCP in Mydukuru municipality in the Kadapa district, YSRCP sources said that their party would claim the chairman post with the ex-officio votes.

Results are out for the 11 corporations only as the Andhra Pradesh high court has suspended the counting of votes in Eluru. The court was hearing petitions filed on the alleged lapses in the preparation of the electoral rolls in the corporation area.