Daijiworld Media Network - Amaravati
Amaravati, Nov 8: The Telugu Desam Party (TDP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has registered a sweeping victory in Andhra Pradesh's local body elections, winning 499 of the 582 Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituency (ZPTC) seats and 5,861 of the 7,768 Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituency (MPTC) seats.
The opposition YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) emerged as the second-largest political force, securing 76 ZPTC and 1,711 MPTC seats.
The State Election Commission (SEC) released the final counting results on Sunday night.
Polling was held for 582 ZPTCs and 7,767 MPTCs across 28 districts on November 5, following the declaration of 77 ZPTC and 2,051 MPTC seats as unanimously elected.
The TDP and its allies, the Jana Sena Party (JSP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), captured the majority of the seats. The TDP emerged as the largest party, winning 406 ZPTCs and 4,806 MPTCs. The JSP, led by Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, secured 73 ZPTCs and 938 MPTCs, while the BJP won 20 ZPTCs and 117 MPTCs.
The YSRCP, which suffered a major setback at the hands of the ruling coalition in the urban local body elections last week, performed relatively better in the ZPTC and MPTC polls, winning 76 and 1,711 seats respectively.
The Congress failed to win any seats, while the CPI(M) secured one ZPTC and 15 MPTC seats. Six Independents emerged victorious in the ZPTC elections, while 162 Independents were elected in the MPTC polls.
The ruling coalition swept the elections in most districts. In Sri Sathya Sai district, the TDP won 21 of the 32 ZPTC seats, while the YSRCP secured nine.
In Tirupati district, the TDP bagged 21 of the 31 seats, with the YSRCP finishing second with six. In YSR Kadapa, the home district of YSRCP chief Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, his party managed to win only two of the 16 ZPTC seats. The TDP secured 12, while the remaining two went to the JSP.
The TDP also won 26 of the 30 ZPTC seats in SPSR Nellore district, while the YSRCP managed to secure just two.
The results mark another major electoral success for the TDP-led coalition following its victory over the YSRCP in the urban local body elections.
Meanwhile, YSRCP leaders alleged that the counting of votes in the ZPTC and MPTC elections was marred by irregularities and claimed that the SEC had ignored their complaints.
YSRCP chief Jagan Mohan Reddy alleged that irregularities had continued to affect local body elections under Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu. He claimed that, as during the municipal election counting, officials were pressured to manipulate results in several districts during the ZPTC and MPTC vote count.
"Democracy is being undermined at every turn. Chandrababu Naidu may have won the election, but he has suffered a moral defeat. We may have lost the election, but we have won the hearts of the people," Jagan Mohan Reddy said.
"Power may help someone win an election, but it cannot earn the people's trust. Democracy may be suppressed, but the people's aspirations cannot be silenced. I salute our party leaders and workers—especially the women—who stood firm in defence of democracy despite obstacles, attacks and intimidation. We will continue this struggle with even greater determination," the former Chief Minister added.