Hyderabad: Political parties in Andhra Pradesh will face a preliminary test of their strength in the elections to Urban Local Bodies (ULB) slated for Sunday.
Elections to 146 municipalities and 10 municipal corporations across the state are being held after a delay of three and a half years as the Congress shied away from polls when term of the civic bodies ended way back in October 2010.
It was only after the Supreme Court came down heavily that the State Government got down to conduct the polls.
However, there is suspense over declaration of results of the ULB polls as Andhra Pradesh High Court is currently hearing a petition seeking withholding of results as they could influence the outcome of the April-May elections to Lok Sabha and the Assembly in the State.
The HC is expected to pronounce its decision on April 1, while the counting of votes is scheduled for April 2.
The Congress is practically out of contention in coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions (Seemandhra), while YSR Congress is out of picture in Telangana even before the ballots are cast.
Congress is in a shambles in Seemandhra because of its decision to grant statehood to Telangana.
Jaganmohan Reddy-led YSR Congress, which had been a vocal supporter of united AP, has hardly any presence in Telangana, which will become a state on June 2.
Of the total 2,591 civic wards in 119 municipalities in 13 Seemandhra districts, the Congress could field nominees in only 1,132 wards, not even close to the halfway mark.
And, of the 363 civic divisions in seven municipal corporations going to polls in Seemandhra, the Congress is in the race in only 173.
The party has been reduced to such a miserable state that in Chittoor Municipal Corporation it could not field a single candidate for the 50 civic divisions.
In Kadapa Municipal Corporation, it managed just 8 and in Eluru only 11 out of the 50 divisions each.
The saving grace for the Congress was that it could remain in fight in all the 50 civic divisions in Vijayawada Municipal Corporation and 54 in Nellore corporation.
Similar is the plight of YSR Congress in Telangana.
Of the 1,399 municipal wards in nine Telangana districts, YSR Congress is in fray in a negligible 187 and of the 150 civic divisions in three municipal corporations it`s in race in only 16.
In Karimnagar and Ramagundam Municipal Corporations only one candidate each of the Jagan party is fighting the ULB election.
Interestingly, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) is also not so better placed, having fielded its candidates in 74 out of 150 civic divisions in three municipal corporations and 923 out of 1399 municipal wards in Telangana.
Barring in Khammam district, where its presence is negligible, the Telangana Rashtra Samiti has fielded candidates in all the ULBs in Telangana and hopes to capture power in a majority of them.
In fact, this is the first time that TRS has seriously jumped into the ULB poll fray, thanks to the prevailing euphoria over creation of a separate state.
BJP has also put up candidates in many places and hopes to muster support from the TDP where the latter is not in race.
