Vizianagaram mayor poll postponed to October 29 over Sirimanotsavam

The State Election Commission has postponed the Vizianagaram mayoral election by a day, moving it from October 28, 2026 to October 29.

The decision was taken after Vizianagaram Collector S. Ramsundar Reddy and other officials requested the change because the Sirimanotsavam of Goddess Pydithalli Ammavaru is scheduled to be held in the Fort City on October 27.

Why the poll was rescheduled

The Collector said the entire administration would be occupied with the annual Sirimanotsavam, making it difficult to conduct the election the following day.

The Collector and other officials also sent a report by The Hindu to the SEC, pointing to the practical difficulty of moving election material to polling booths across all 62 divisions of the Corporation on October 27, the day before the originally scheduled poll.

The issue had earlier been reported by The Hindu in an article titled “A tough time for the government to hold Sirimanotsavam, Mayor election in Vizianagaram on October 27 and 28”, published on October 15, 2026.

The SEC accepted the government’s request and postponed the Vizianagaram election by one day.

The rescheduling applies to the Vizianagaram mayoral election, while polling in the other 99 urban local bodies will continue on October 28.

Counting remains on October 30

Although voting in Vizianagaram will now take place on October 29, the counting of votes will be held on October 30, 2026, along with the counting for other corporations and municipalities.

The Vizianagaram corporation will elect its Mayor and 62 corporators.

A total of 2,23,050 voters are scheduled to cast their votes at 229 polling booths in the city.

The election schedule has been revised against the backdrop of the Sirimanotsavam, which draws devotees from across Andhra Pradesh and neighbouring States.

The festival is preceded by the Vizianagaram Utsavam, scheduled for October 25 and 26.

Source: The Hindu