Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has directed the state government and alliance leaders to complete local body elections by November 15, 2026, although the official election schedule has not yet been announced. The deadline covers the state’s return to what Naidu described as normal administration after the civic polls.
Naidu issued the direction after the state Cabinet meeting on Saturday and a separate meeting with ministers in Amaravati. Ministers in charge of individual districts will be responsible for coordinating preparations and supporting candidates of the three-party National Democratic Alliance, comprising the Telugu Desam, Jana Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party.
The Chief Minister asked ministers and MLAs to remain active at the local level and coordinate with leaders and workers of the three parties according to conditions in each area. He also said the local body elections would bring new leadership to the forefront. The report did not specify the number of municipal or rural local bodies expected to go to the polls.
A major issue discussed at the meeting was reservation for backward classes in the upcoming civic elections. Naidu said the N.T. Rama Rao government had introduced 24 per cent reservation for backward classes and that a subsequent Telugu Desam government had increased it to 34 per cent as the population had grown in urban areas.
Naidu attributed the earlier legal challenge to the 34 per cent quota to the previous YSRC government’s decision to issue reservation orders without constituting a commission. According to the report, the Andhra Pradesh High Court struck down the quota, and Naidu alleged that the then government did not challenge the verdict in the Supreme Court. These claims were made by the Chief Minister at the meeting and were not independently detailed in the report.
Naidu said his government intended to provide the highest possible reservation for backward classes and that a 34 per cent quota would now be provided on a party basis. The precise legal and administrative process for implementing the quota was not outlined in the report.
Officials also briefed the Cabinet on the findings of the Rajiv Ranjan Mishra Commission on backward-class reservations. Naidu referred to the possibility of conducting the elections using electoral rolls prepared after the Special Intensive Revision. The timing and final scope of that revision, as well as its relationship with the election schedule, were not specified.
The Chief Minister also asked ministers to prepare for El Niño conditions and ensure that residents do not face hardships. He said the state had partly managed the impact of a 34 per cent rainfall deficit by storing substantial quantities of water in reservoirs during the previous year. The direction adds water security and climate preparedness to the wider administrative agenda discussed with ministers, but no specific municipal measures were announced.
Naidu further asked ministers to maintain contact with Union ministers to expedite departmental matters. Funds for constituency development works are scheduled to be released to MLAs on Monday and Tuesday, with ₹1 crore earmarked for each constituency. The next formal milestone for the civic elections will be the announcement of the election schedule and related administrative arrangements.
