Andhra Pradesh extends civic poll nominations by 48 hours

Andhra Pradesh State Election Commissioner Anil Chandra Punetha on Thursday extended the nomination process in four Urban Local Bodies by 48 hours, allowing candidates to file their papers on October 23 and 24 in compliance with a Supreme Court order of October 21. The extension covers Kadapa Municipal Corporation, Rajampet Municipality and Mydukuru Municipality in Kadapa district, and Tirupati Municipal Corporation in Tirupati district, with nominations accepted between 11 am and 3 pm on both days.

The announcement came on Thursday morning, a day after the Supreme Court's October 21 order, and applies to the ongoing election process in the four bodies.

The decision followed a petition by the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), which told the Supreme Court that its candidates had been attacked, threatened and stopped from reaching nomination centres in Punganur, Rayachoti, Kadapa and Tirupati. The party urged the court to direct the authorities to provide adequate police protection so candidates could file their papers without fear. The Andhra Pradesh election commission examined the complaints before issuing the extension.

In his statement, Punetha said that in certain Urban Local Bodies, candidates willing to contest had been intimidated or attacked, their nomination papers torn, or were otherwise prevented by adverse circumstances from filing their papers. The State Election Commission observed that such incidents had occurred in four Urban Local Bodies and decided to give the affected candidates an opportunity to file nominations and ensure they are not deprived of their chance to contest.

Why Andhra Pradesh extended the deadline

The Supreme Court order of October 21 came after the YSR Congress Party challenged an Andhra Pradesh High Court order of October 18 that had refused to extend the nomination deadline, which ended that day. The court directed the State Election Commission to postpone publication of the final list of candidates until October 25 and asked Punetha to consider the representations submitted by the YSR Congress Party and other candidates.

The court also directed the commission to examine the evidence, including electronic records, before deciding whether to extend the nomination deadline in areas where candidates may have been prevented from filing their papers because of law-and-order issues. It further ordered the commission to provide aggrieved candidates a 48-hour window to file nominations after its decision was published through an amendment to the election notification.

What the Andhra Pradesh order covers

The extension applies only to the four Urban Local Bodies where the commission found evidence of intimidation: Kadapa Municipal Corporation, Rajampet and Mydukuru municipalities, and Tirupati Municipal Corporation. Punetha said the commission "hereby order to extend the nomination process in 4 Urban Local Bodies for 48 hours on October 23 and October 24 from 11 am to 3 pm." Candidates in these bodies can file their nomination papers between those hours on both days.

Revised schedule for the Andhra Pradesh civic polls

The commission has also revised the election schedule for all 100 Urban Local Bodies in the state, including the four where the nomination process has been extended. As per the revised schedule, the final list of contesting candidates will be published on October 25. Polling for the Andhra Pradesh civic polls will take place on November 1, from 7 am to 5 pm. Re-polling, if required, will be held on November 2, while the counting of votes is scheduled for November 3.