Andhra local body elections: TDP-led coalition wins two-third of zilla parishad seats

Andhra Pradesh’s ruling alliance, led by the Telugu Desam Party, won two-thirds of the Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituency (ZPTC) and Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituency (MPTC) seats, the state election commission (SEC) announced Sunday night.Polling begins for Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituency (ZPTC) and Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituency (MPTC) elections in Prakasam on Thursday. (ANI Video Grab)According to SEC, the TDP won 406 of the 582 ZPTC seats for which elections were held, while its alliance partners, Jana Sena Party (JSP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), secured 73 and 20 seats, respectively. The YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) finished second with 76 seats, marginally ahead of Jana Sena in the district-level governing council elections.Independents won six ZPTC seats. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) secured one seat in Alluri Sitarama Raju district. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Congress, and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) won no ZPTC seats.The TDP posted strong performances in Nellore district, winning 26 of the 30 ZPTC seats. It also won 22 of 30 seats in Srikakulam, 22 of 28 in Anantapur, 21 of 32 in Sri Sathya Sai, 21 of 31 in Tirupati, and 21 of 25 in Prakasam.The ruling coalition maintained a similar lead in MPTC elections for the sub-district administrative bodies. Of the 7,768 MPTC seats across the state’s 28 districts, the TDP won 4,806. The YSRCP secured 1,711 seats, while the JSP, part of the ruling alliance, won 938.The BJP won 117 MPTC seats, while independents secured 169. The CPI(M) won 15 seats, Congress 9, BSP 3, and other parties seven seats. The AAP also failed to open its account in the MPTC elections.The TDP registered a near-clean sweep in Srikakulam district, winning 392 of the 523 MPTC seats. However, the YSRCP delivered a relatively better performance in Eluru district, winning 107 of 441 MPTC constituencies.The combined performance of the TDP, JSP, and BJP has cemented the ruling coalition’s control over rural local governance in Andhra Pradesh. While the TDP claimed the overwhelming majority of victories, the JSP’s tally of 938 MPTC and 73 ZPTC seats demonstrated its expanding grassroots footprint.The YSRCP finished a distant second with 76 ZPTC and 1,711 MPTC seats, underscoring the challenges the party faces in rebuilding its rural cadre base following its 2024 assembly defeat.To be sure, 77 of the state’s total 659 ZPTC and 2,051 of the 9,818 MPTC seats were decided uncontested on October 27.Voting for the remaining 577 ZPTCs and 7,707 MPTCs took place on November 5. Polling in 5 ZPTCs and 60 MPTCs was deferred to November 6 due to cyclone disruptions, while repolling was conducted across seven polling stations in Anantapur, Kurnool, Markapuram, Palnadu, and Srikakulam districts following allegations of electoral malpractice.