Published Oct 28, 2026 | 5:39 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 28, 2026 | 5:39 PM
Polls
Synopsis: According to the revised schedule, polling will be held from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on November 5. If necessary, repolling will take place during the same hours on November 6. Counting of votes will begin at 8 a.m. on November 7, and the results will be declared immediately after the counting process is completed.
The Andhra Pradesh State Election Commission has revised the schedule for the Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituency (MPTC) and Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituency (ZPTC) elections.
Polling, originally scheduled for 3 November, has been postponed to 5 November. Repolling, if required, will be held on 6 November, while counting of votes and declaration of results will take place on 7 November. The State Election Commission issued the revised schedule on Wednesday, 28 October.
The decision follows changes to the schedule for urban local body elections, which raised concerrns over the availability of police personnel and election staff. In compliance with the Supreme Court’s directions issued on October 21, the Commission had allowed an additional two days for filing nominations in four urban local bodies through a notification dated October 22. It subsequently announced a revised schedule for those elections.
Under the revised schedule, polling for the urban local bodies will be held on 1 November, repolling, if necessary, on 2 November, and counting of votes on 3 November.
As a result, the counting of votes for urban local body elections and polling for the MPTC and ZPTC elections would have coincided on 3 November. To avoid difficulties in deploying available police personnel and election staff, and to ensure the smooth conduct of both electoral processes, the Commission decided to reschedule the MPTC and ZPTC elections.
Also Read: Andhra local body elections: Polling postponed, SEC reopens nominations in 72 wards
According to the revised schedule, polling will be held from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on November 5. If necessary, repolling will take place during the same hours on November 6. Counting of votes will begin at 8 a.m. on November 7, and the results will be declared immediately after the counting process is completed.
Following the conclusion of the deadline for withdrawal of nominations, the Returning Officers published the lists of contesting candidates after 3 p.m. on October 27. In constituencies where only one valid nomination remained, the unopposed election results were also declared after 3 p.m. on the same day. The Commission stated that these procedures had been completed in accordance with the Andhra Pradesh Panchayat Raj (Conduct of Elections) Rules, 2006.
Meanwhile, the Commission clarified that polling hours had already been curtailed at 88 polling stations in the Alluri Sitarama Raju and Polavaram districts. Of these, 44 polling stations are located in 10 mandals of Alluri Sitarama Raju district, while the remaining 44 are spread across seven mandals in Polavaram district. Polling at these stations will conclude at 3 p.m. instead of 5 p.m. The same revised closing time will apply to repolling, if required.
The State Election Commission has directed all District Collectors and District Election Officers to give wide publicity to the revised schedule. The notification was issued by State Election Commissioner Anil Chandra Punetha.
(Edited by Sumavarsha)
