Violence disrupted the nomination process for municipal elections across Andhra Pradesh’s Kadapa district on Saturday, with police firing six rounds in the air and using tear gas to disperse rival groups in Pulivendula. Clashes, alleged attacks and protests were also reported in Kadapa town, Kamalapuram and Mydukur, while a vehicle belonging to a candidate was damaged in neighbouring Annamayya district.
The incidents occurred a day before Sunday, October 18, the final date for candidates to file their nomination papers. A large number of candidates had arrived at municipal offices across the district on Saturday, but YSRC leaders alleged that their nominees were being obstructed from entering or reaching the offices to submit their papers.
In Pulivendula, rival groups allegedly pelted stones at one another, prompting police to fire into the air and lob tear gas shells. YSRC MP Y.S. Avinash Reddy, who was accompanying party nominees, staged a protest after allegedly being prevented from proceeding. Police later placed the MP under house arrest, according to the report.
Avinash Reddy alleged that YSRC candidates were being prevented from filing their nominations and questioned whether the Election Commission was functioning. The allegations were made amid the final-day rush for nominations, when delays or denial of access to municipal offices could affect candidates’ ability to complete the filing process.
Kadapa town also witnessed clashes between Telugu Desam and YSRC supporters over the nomination process. Sheikh Murad, the son of a former YSRC corporator, was allegedly stabbed near the YSRC office. The incident drew party cadres to the location, after which police resorted to a lathi-charge, according to the report.
Stone-pelting was reported in Gandhi Nagar locality, where three cars were damaged and several people sustained injuries. The report did not provide a confirmed number of injured persons or details of the medical treatment they received.
Tension was also reported near the Kamalapuram Nagar Panchayat office after YSRC chairperson candidate Marujolla Kavitha arrived to file her nomination. Kavitha and her supporters staged a sit-in, alleging that they were being prevented from entering the office. A woman identified as B. Lakshmi sustained injuries during the incident. Police had earlier taken P. Naren Ramanjula Reddy, the son of former MLA P. Ravindranath Reddy, into custody in Kamalapuram and shifted him to Kadapa.
In neighbouring Annamayya district, unidentified persons allegedly attacked the car of YSRC chairperson candidate S. Sharif in Rayachoti. The vehicle was severely damaged, according to the report. Mydukur also witnessed tension during the nomination process, although the available account did not specify the nature or extent of the incidents there.
The disruptions place the focus on the security arrangements and administrative access at municipal nomination centres during the final stage of the election schedule. The report said repeated attempts to contact Kadapa Superintendent of Police Nachiketh Vishwanath for a response to the incidents went unanswered. Sunday remains the deadline for filing nomination papers.
