Published Sep 03, 2026 | 9:22 AM ⚊ Updated Sep 03, 2026 | 9:42 AM
If elections are not conducted within six months, the state could face a reduction in funds received through the Finance Commission.
Synopsis: The Andhra Pradesh government is accelerating preparations to hold local body elections by the end of October, amid legal challenges and concerns over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. The YSRCP has sought postponement, while the government argues that delaying the elections could risk the loss of Finance Commission funds.
The deadline for conducting local body elections in Andhra Pradesh is fast approaching. The state government is reportedly planning to conduct the local body elections by the end of October. The government is looking to finalise BC reservations at the earliest and issue the election notification. Meanwhile, the YSRCP is pursuing legal action, alleging irregularities in the conduct of the elections. The party has approached the High Court seeking its intervention to postpone the notification.
The petition is expected to come up for hearing before the Chief Justice’s bench. Once the State Election Commission issues the notification, there may be limited scope for judicial intervention. Against this backdrop, reports suggest that the notification for the local body elections could be issued at any time.
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The terms of the local bodies in Andhra Pradesh –Gram Panchayats, Municipalities and Municipal Corporations– expired in March and April this year. If elections are not conducted within six months, the state could face a reduction in funds received through the Finance Commission. Since the issue is linked to thousands of crores of rupees in Central government grants, the state government has intensified its efforts to conduct the elections.
Just as preparations for the elections were getting underway, the elections were postponed due to the commencement of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process by the Election Commission (ECI).
On September 1, the ECI announced the polling stations for Gram Panchayats on a ward-wise basis. As of August 31, AP State Election Commissioner Anil Chandra Punetha had issued orders approving 1,36,326 polling stations for 1,33,128 wards across 13,278 Gram Panchayats, based on the approval of district collectors and election authorities.
Meanwhile, advocate Tandava Yogesh filed a public interest litigation in the High Court seeking the conduct of elections. The Backward Classes Welfare Association has also approached the HC, seeking elections only after BC reservations are finalised. Hearings on these petitions are underway.
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The YSRCP has also approached the HC, objecting to the conduct of local body elections based on the electoral rolls published in January this year, arguing that around 44 lakh names are to be deleted as part of the SIR process. The party sought the postponement of the elections until the SIR process is completed. After hearing the matter, the bench directed the Registry to tag the YSRCP petition with the petitions already pending before the Chief Justice. The Chief Justice’s bench is now expected to take a decision on the matter.
The YSRCP alleged that the ruling parties are seeking political advantage by conducting the local body elections before the electoral roll revision process is completed. The party believes that if elections are held without deleting the 44 lakh names identified for removal from the electoral rolls, it could benefit the ruling alliance.
The YSRCP alleged that a large portion of the 44 lakh names identified for deletion belong to people who have migrated to cities such as Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Chennai. The party claimed that if local body elections are held using the votes of people who are not physically present in their respective local areas, the ruling parties could resort to electoral irregularities. In this regard, YSRCP general secretary Lella Appi Reddy filed a petition in the HC. After hearing the petition, Justice Sujatha directed that it be tagged with the petitions already pending before the Chief Justice.
The state government has rejected the objections raised by the YSRCP. It has accused the opposition party of attempting to postpone the elections out of fear of losing them. Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu alleged that the YSRCP is trying to obstruct the local body elections because it fears a decisive defeat.
Meanwhile, the Advocate General informed the HC that the SIR process does not constitute an obstacle to conducting local body elections. The AP State Election Commission has also directed that September 3 be the deadline for finalising polling stations on a ward-wise basis, using January 1 this year as the qualifying date.
With these developments, the state government is increasingly likely to move forward with the election process. Unless the court permits the postponement of the elections until the SIR process is completed and the revised electoral rolls are finalised, the chances of the local body elections proceeding as scheduled appear to be high.
(Edited by Fayisa CA)
