Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSR Congress Party registers landslide victory in local body polls of Andhra Pradesh

Image courtesy: ANI

Hyderabad: The ruling YSR Congress Party in Andhra Pradesh has secured a victory in elections held to Zilla Parishads Territorial Constituencies (ZPTCs) Zilla Parishad and Mandal Parishads Territorial Constituencies (MPTCs), the counting for which was held on Sunday.

Yuvajan Sramika Rythu (YSR) Congress Party, led by Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy, has secured 502 ZPTCs out of 515 seats. The YSRCP also won a huge number of constituencies at the MPTC level by registering victory in 5,998 constituencies out of 10047, according to the final result at 2 am on September 20.

The main opposition party Telugu Desam Party (TDP), led by former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, could win only 826 Mandal constituencies, while the party could only win six Zilla Parishad constituencies, virtually wiping out from the state.

The YSRCP has a brute majority in Parliament, State and now local bodies seats. The ruling party also swept the Kuppam Assembly constituency, from where Naidu is elected. Out of four ZPTC in Kuppam, the YSRCP won all the seats by registering a winning margin of 62,297 votes. The YSRCP bagged 84,160 votes and the TDP could get 21,863 votes only.

The TDP tasted defeat in village panchayat elections also which was conducted in February 2021. There are 89 panchayats in the Kuppam assembly constituency, ruling YSRCP won 75 and the TDP is confined to 14. 

As YSRCP is being seated on all the local bodies in Kuppam, the YSRCP is aiming to assembly segment in the next state polls. In ZPTC, the TDP won six constituencies; Pawan Kalyan-led Jana Sena Party (JSP) won two segments; CPI, CPM and independents registered victory in one constituency each. Meanwhile, as many as 126 candidates were elected unanimously.

In MPTC, Congress won three constituencies; BJP in 28, JSP in 177, CPI (8), CPM (15) and Independents (157). As many as 2,371 candidates were elected unanimously.

At three ZPTC segments, ballot boxes were wetted and damaged. The matter has been referred to State Election Commission (SEC), and the election has been withheld in 384 constituencies (376 in MPTC and rest in ZPTC). 

The YSR Congress also won up to 74 of the 75 municipalities and nagar panchayats in the state and secured all 12 municipal corporations in the recently held polls. In 2019, the party had won 151 out of 175 Assembly seats and 22 out of 25 Lok Sabha seats in the general elections.

The elections for Mandal Parishads and Zilla Parishads were held on April 8 for 515 ZPTCs and 7,220 MPTCs. The results were earlier scheduled to be declared on April 10, but the Andhra Pradesh High Court stalled the counting in view of petitions filed by the Telugu Desam Party and the BJP, among others.

The opposition parties had alleged that the mandatory Model Code of Conduct period was not taken into consideration from the date of announcement of the poll schedule. A division bench of the High Court, however, on September 16 gave its nod for the counting of votes.

(With Agency Inputs)