Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has directed ministers and legislators to prepare for local body elections and set November 15, 2026, as the deadline for completing the civic polls and returning the state to normal administration. The election schedule has not yet been announced.
Naidu issued the direction after the Andhra Pradesh Cabinet meeting on Saturday during a separate meeting with his ministerial colleagues in Amaravati. He assigned ministers in charge of individual districts responsibility for coordinating the campaign and supporting candidates of the three-party National Democratic Alliance comprising the Telugu Desam, Jana Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party.
The Chief Minister called for coordination among the three alliance partners based on local political conditions. He also asked ministers and MLAs to remain active on the ground and work towards winning every seat. Naidu said the local body elections would bring new leadership to the forefront.
The proposed polls will include elections to civic and other local bodies across Andhra Pradesh. Their completion is expected to determine the next elected leadership of local institutions, which are responsible for functions including local services, civic infrastructure and community-level administration. The government has not disclosed the detailed election calendar in the information available.
Reservations for backward classes are expected to be a central issue in the election preparations. Naidu recalled that the government led by N.T. Rama Rao had provided 24 per cent reservations for backward classes, while a subsequent Telugu Desam government increased the quota to 34 per cent, citing growth in the backward-class population in urban areas.
According to the Chief Minister, the Andhra Pradesh High Court later struck down the 34 per cent reservation after the previous YSRC government issued orders without constituting a commission. Naidu accused the previous government of not challenging the court verdict in the Supreme Court. These claims were made during the meeting and were not independently assessed in the report.
Naidu said his government intends to provide the highest possible reservation for backward classes and that a 34 per cent quota would now be provided on a party basis. Officials had also briefed the Cabinet on the findings of the Rajiv Ranjan Mishra Commission on backward-class reservations.
The Chief Minister further referred to the possibility of conducting the elections using electoral rolls prepared after the Special Intensive Revision. The timing and operational details of that process, as well as its relationship with the final election schedule, were not specified.
The meeting also covered preparations for El Niño conditions. Naidu asked ministers to ensure that residents do not face hardships and said the state had managed the impact of a 34 per cent rainfall deficit to some extent because reservoirs had stored substantial quantities of water during the previous year.
Separately, Naidu said funds for constituency development works would be released to MLAs on Monday and Tuesday, with ₹1 crore earmarked for each constituency. He also asked ministers to maintain contact with Union ministers and pursue matters linked to their departments. The next formal milestone for the local body polls will be the announcement of the election schedule and related administrative arrangements.
