Andhra Pradesh clears path for civic polls in 41 urban bodies

Andhra Pradesh State Election Commissioner Anil Chandra Punetha has authorised Municipal Commissioners and Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation Zonal Commissioners to adopt the latest Assembly electoral rolls, with January 1, 2026, as the qualifying date, clearing the path for civic polls in 41 urban civic bodies.

The State Election Commissioner issued two notifications for the preparation and publication of ward-wise photo electoral rolls in these 41 Urban Local Bodies, setting the stage for the second ordinary elections to these civic bodies. The rolls will also enable the State government to finalise the reservation of offices, Mr. Punetha said.

12 corporations, 29 smaller bodies covered

The notifications cover 12 Municipal Corporations, including Vijayawada, Greater Visakhapatnam, Guntur, Tirupati and Kurnool, and 29 Municipalities and Nagar Panchayats, among them Proddatur, Macherla and Nandyal. The ward-wise electoral rolls for the 41 ULBs will be published on September 22, along with the prescribed notice in Form-I, Mr. Punetha said.

Schedule follows delimitation timeline

Mr. Punetha said the schedule followed a request from the Principal Secretary of the Municipal Administration and Urban Development Department for time to complete ward delimitation by mid-September. Electoral rolls for another 17 Municipal Corporations and 58 Municipalities, where delimitation had been completed earlier, were published on September 3.

Detailed procedural instructions would be issued shortly to guide local election authorities, the Commissioner said.

Source: The Hindu