Why Andhra local body nominations turned violent | LME 174 | Pooja Prasanna

By now, you must have all seen these visuals

This was the violence seen in Andhra Pradesh

Not on voting or counting day, but even as people went to file nominations for the local body polls

The alleged attempt to steal elections unfolded not through manipulated voter lists, or booth capturing BUT through raw physical intimidation.

Ever since election notifications were issued on October 14, violence has broken out across the state:

(at least) 31 official incidents of election violence have been logged by law enforcement.

16 FIRs have been filed specifically for the physical snatching, ripping, and destruction of nomination papers.

The escalation on the ground has been intense:

Pulivendula, the family fortress of former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, turned into a combat zone. 

The YSRCP has alleged that state machinery and police forces colluded and created blockades to stop candidates from filing nominations

The TDP in turn has said the YSRCP was indulging in criminal politics

This scale of violence should make us ask- Why are these local body polls so critical in Andhra Pradesh?

Why are we witnessing this level of violence?

And what is really at stake?

Let me explain.

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1. The Legal Battle and Regional Stakes

In Punganur, the convoy of P.V. Midhun Reddy, YSRCP’s Lok Sabha floor leader and MP, was ambushed by mobs wielding boulders and sticks

Both YSRCP and TDP have blamed each other for starting this violent incident.

In Chapadu, a nine-month pregnant candidate was shoved at the gate and had her affidavits shredded.

In Chowdepalle, an opposition worker’s house and commercial shop were flattened using a JCB earth-mover.

Hundreds of candidates have been prevented from filing their nominations.

And the result of all this violence and intimidation? 

By the end of the nomination window on October 25, the State Election Commission confirmed that 599 municipal ward seats across 46 urban local bodies were declared uncontested, with the ruling coalition - that is the TDP- Jana Sena- BJP - taking 96.16% of them.

In seven entire municipalities, polling was canceled completely. All 220 combined wards were handed to the ruling alliance uncontested.

Section 53 (2) of the Representation of the Peoples Act says that if there is only one candidate contesting an election, then the person can be declared elected unopposed.

And in Andhra Pradesh unanimous victories matter. 

A party can win a seat without a contest. There is no polling. No uncertainty. And it sends a powerful message: we control this place.

In 2021, the YSRCP which was in power won a large number of seats unanimously and the TDP accused them of playing havoc with democracy

Today, the tables have turned and the scale has become larger. 

And that forced the Supreme Court to step in this time after the YSRCP went to court.

The apex court directed the State Election Commission (SEC) to pause the election process and consider the allegations and evidence of violence from YSRCP. As a result, the nomination period was extended in four places. 

The YSRCP felt this wasn’t enough, but the Supreme Court refused to intervene any further. But it did order to preserve CCTV footage from nomination and polling centres. 

2. Why Local Body Polls Are the Lifeblood of Power in Andhra Pradesh

The Andhra local body elections cover 100 urban local bodies including 13 Municipal Corporations   and over 9,800 MPTC and 650 ZPTC rural seats spread across key districts:

YSR Kadapa, Annamayya, Tirupati, Anantapur, Palnadu and Chittoor

So why do local body elections matter so much?

Because this is where political power gets very local.

MLAs and MPs operate at the state and national level. But local leaders have a direct influence over what happens in villages, towns and neighbourhoods.

They help connect people to government schemes, local resources and officials. And for political parties, controlling these bodies also means keeping their workers and supporters connected to the party.

But there is another reason local body elections are so fiercely contested: money.

Local bodies receive crores in untied grants. For example, for things like roads, water supply and other public works.

They also control contracts for construction, sanitation, town planning and layouts.

And then there are resource leases that is for mining, including for sand, quarries and minerals.

These involve very large sums of money.

And in Andhra Pradesh, a state where most miners have turned politicians or vice versa, regional dominance matters.

3. The Anatomic Breakdown of a Subverted Mandate: How the Violence Unfolded

In Indian political history, electoral subversion traditionally relied on Booth Capturing

In AP's local body polls, this has evolved into Nomination-Desk Capture 

The epicenter of the violence this time was concentrated in two political battlegrounds: the Rayalaseema belt (YSR Kadapa, Annamayya, Chittoor, Tirupati, and Anantapur) and the Palnadu corridor. 

Phase 1: Administrative Delays and Police Summons

Before nominations opened on October 16, government offices and police stations stalled opposition candidates. 

YSRCP aspirants allege they faced delays in getting mandatory caste certificates, no-dues receipts,and No-Objection Certificates (NOCs). Officials apparently kept citing "server glitches".

At the same time, police began “binding” over opposition workers.

In simple terms, they were made to sign bonds promising to maintain peace, with the threat of arrest if they violated the conditions.

In Gurazala, police bound over more than 600 social-media activists. 

In Guntur, Chittoor Rural and Tadipatri, dozens of former sarpanches, local organisers and potential candidates were allegedly called to police stations and warned not to campaign or hold rallies.

Phase 2: Direct Attacks and Blockades (October 16–18)

When the nomination window opened, street violence broke out around election offices:

Candidates were attacked

Even women candidates were not spared

In Chittoor, Anantapur, and Dharmavaram, female YSRCP candidates traveling to filing offices had their cars ambushed by mobs on open roads. 

In Podili, MPTC aspirant Donapati Sravani was beaten on the road until she bled.

Independent candidates like Shaik Gausiya Bhanu in Kadapa also faced destruction of their papers

Phase 3: Police Force and Mass House Arrests

As the violence went on, many opposition leaders were placed on house arrest

The YSRCP says over 20 of its senior leaders were under preventive house arrest including former Ministers Vidadala Rajini, Dadisetti Raja, Kakani Govardhan Reddy and others.

Phase 4: Forged Withdrawals

Many candidates who made it past the street blockades allege they faced administrative interference inside the election office:

In Nagari, chairperson candidate Balakrishnan received an official physical acknowledgement receipt after filing, but his name was missing in the final list of candidates.

In Nandyal Municipality, the ward 51 candidate Avvari Nagamani was physically barred from entering the office during verification. A withdrawal letter with forged signatures was handed to the Returning Officer 

In Pithapuram (Ward 27), candidate Kambhampati Sriram was forced into a vehicle, compelled to sign withdrawal forms, and draped with a ruling-party scarf.

4. Why Pulivendula?

And amidst all this- Pulivendula became a major battleground

Why?

Because Pulivendula is Jagan Mohan Reddy’s home turf.

For almost five decades, the YSR family has dominated this constituency. For the TDP, breaking that hold would be a powerful political statement.

In the 2025 ZPTC by-election, the TDP defeated the YSRCP in Pulivendula, something that would have been almost unthinkable a few years ago.

That is why the 2026 local body elections became so important here.

During the nominations, opposition candidates allege they were blocked from reaching government offices. Police used force, including tear gas and firing in the air.

And the result?

The NDA won 20 of Pulivendula’s 40 municipal wards uncontested, along with 64 of 65 MPTC seats in the assembly segment.

For the ruling alliance, this was more than a local election.

It was a chance to show that Jagan’s strongest political fortress was no longer impregnable.

What did the courts do?

While political battles were playing out on the ground, there was another battle in court.

The Andhra Pradesh High Court took a cautious approach.

It said that once an election process has begun, courts should generally not interfere. If someone believes the election was unfair, they can challenge it after the election.

But there is an obvious problem with that.

What happens if you are prevented from contesting in the first place?

By the time a case is decided years later, the term of a local body could be almost over.

The Supreme Court took a different approach.

It stepped in when candidates were being physically prevented from filing nominations. It ordered the SEC to look into YSRCP’s allegations but refused to intervene after that. 

What does this mean for Andhra’s democracy?

What these visuals prove is that it's not just the polling booth that is a big concern, but even the nomination desk is.

If candidates are stopped from filing nominations, elections can be decided before voters get a choice.

And this kind of violence sends two kinds of messages to people

It tells them who is more politically powerful

And second- it discourages a normal voter from stepping out on polling day fearing violence 

That is why there are calls for stronger safeguards 

Because an election should be won at the ballot box, not at the gate of the nomination office or because people are scared to step out.

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Produced by Megha Mukundan, script by Pooja Prasanna, edit by Nikhil Sekhar, Dharini Prabharan camera by Ajay R