Andhra Pradesh’s local body elections have become the centre of a fresh political and legal dispute after YSRCP alleged that its candidates were attacked, intimidated and prevented from filing nominations in several districts. The opposition party said it would continue contesting the polls and seek judicial and State Election Commission intervention.
YSRCP state coordinator Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy made the allegations in a party press release on Tuesday. He demanded an inquiry by a sitting High Court judge into alleged police firing in Pulivendula, claiming that officers opened fire without provocation while opposition candidates were attempting to file nomination papers. The claims have not been independently established in the material supplied for this report.
Reddy alleged that the TDP-led coalition government was preventing nominations, coercing candidates to withdraw and engineering the rejection of nomination papers before presenting uncontested victories as evidence of public support. He also alleged that police personnel were directly obstructing candidates and acting beyond the role of ruling-party workers.
The YSRCP leader further alleged that the Preventive Detention Act was invoked against senior Dalit leader Rajaiah in Duggirala, within IT Minister Nara Lokesh’s Mangalagiri constituency, to prevent his participation in an upcoming Mandal Praja Parishad election. He claimed that caste and no-dues certificates were being delayed while candidates faced threats.
In Kadapa, Reddy alleged that police stopped between 40 and 50 prospective candidates and that 10 to 12 nominations were rejected. The party also referred to alleged incidents in Punganur, Rayachoti, Kadapa and Tirupati during the nomination process. According to the press release, nomination papers were allegedly snatched and torn in Kadapa, while nine YSRCP candidates were allegedly prevented from filing nominations in the Tirupati Municipal Corporation area.
The dispute has already entered the courts. On October 19, YSRCP approached the Supreme Court against alleged violence, attacks and obstruction during the nomination process. The Special Leave Petition was filed by party general secretary L Appi Reddy through Advocate-on-Record Mahfooz A Nazki, challenging the Andhra Pradesh High Court’s October 18 order refusing to extend the nomination deadline, which ended the same day.
The party has sought an extension of the nomination deadline and a fresh opportunity for candidates who were allegedly prevented from filing papers. It has also asked the Supreme Court to direct authorities to provide adequate police protection so candidates can submit nominations without fear.
The TDP rejected the YSRCP’s position in a post on X, saying the opposition party’s agenda was “rowdyism and winning elections to obstruct development”. The ruling party said its agenda was to make Andhra Pradesh the country’s leading state in development and urged voters to support the alliance. It also alleged that YSRCP president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy had relied on “rowdies, thugs, and criminals”.
The immediate questions before the election authorities and courts are whether candidates were unlawfully prevented from filing nominations, whether rejected nominations require review, and whether additional protection or procedural relief will be ordered. The Supreme Court proceedings and any intervention by the State Election Commission will determine the next stage of the dispute.
