TDP and YSRCP Workers Clash During Andhra Pradesh Urban Local Body Polls

Elections for 100 urban local bodies across Andhra Pradesh took place on 1 November 2026. Officials described the polling as largely peaceful, with the exception of Pulivendula in Kadapa district where workers of the ruling Telugu Desam Party and the opposition YSR Congress Party clashed.

YSRCP president and former chief minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy travelled to Pulivendula and protested outside the Returning Officer's office after officials refused him entry. He submitted a written representation demanding that the election in the municipality be cancelled and that repolling be ordered in all 80 booths. Jagan alleged that TDP workers occupied polling stations from 4 a.m. and prevented YSRCP agents from entering 70 of the 80 booths. He said authorisation papers were torn up and that voters were obstructed.

Kurnool Range DIG Koya Praveen confirmed that stones were thrown between TDP and YSRCP supporters in Pulivendula. Police were deployed to restore order. Around 1,000 police personnel had been assigned to the town, with CCTV cameras and drones in use. No immediate figures on injuries were released. Earlier reports mentioned vehicles set on fire and attacks on YSRCP candidates and agents before polling began at 7 a.m.

Andhra Pradesh Finance Minister P. Keshav rejected the allegations. He said that despite attempts to intimidate people in Pulivendula, elections were conducted freely with police intervention and that voters turned out in large numbers. He described claims of booth capturing as unfounded and said people who had stayed away from voting for years were now participating.

Jagan staged a sit-in for roughly two hours. He told reporters that YSRCP agents had been beaten and removed from stations and that police had sided with the ruling party. He named several other places, including Jammalamadugu, Chittoor, Macherla, Tadipatri and Madanapalle, where he claimed similar problems had occurred. The State Election Commission has not yet issued a formal response to the demand for a repoll.

Polling stations opened at 7 a.m. and closed at 5 p.m. Turnout figures released later in the day showed 48.03 percent voting by 3 p.m. in the urban local bodies overall. In eight bodies the posts were filled unopposed. Security arrangements included more than 36,000 personnel deployed across 4,372 locations statewide.

Pulivendula is Jagan's home constituency. Tensions between the two parties have been high since the TDP-led alliance defeated YSRCP in the 2024 assembly elections. The municipal polls are the first major electoral test in the state since that change of government. Both sides have accused each other of using muscle power in Kadapa district.

Police registered cases related to the stone-throwing and any damage to property. Media personnel covering the polling in Pulivendula also reported being manhandled and having cameras damaged, according to YSRCP. Authorities said they would review footage from the drones and CCTV cameras to identify individuals involved in the clashes.

The final results of the urban local body elections will determine control of municipalities and corporations across Andhra Pradesh. In Pulivendula the outcome will be watched closely because of the personal and political stakes for both Jagan and the TDP. Any decision by the State Election Commission on the repoll demand will come after it examines the complaints and the available video evidence.

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu's government has emphasised technology-driven monitoring of the polls. The deployment of drones in Pulivendula was part of that approach. Whether the technology captured clear evidence of booth-level interference will be part of the post-poll review.