Preparations for the Andhra Pradesh municipal elections have intensified, with polling scheduled for November 1. Officials began distributing ballot boxes and essential election material to polling staff at designated distribution centres on Saturday morning.
Polling will be held from 7 AM to 5 PM across 100 urban local bodies, comprising 13 municipal corporations and 87 municipalities and Nagar Panchayats. A total of 6,669 candidates are contesting, and 4,372 polling stations have been arranged, according to reports.
To ensure peaceful polling, 36,351 police personnel have been deployed across the state. Authorities have identified 671 polling stations as highly sensitive and another 1,233 as sensitive. CCTV cameras, webcasting and additional police forces will be used to monitor these locations.
DGP Harish Kumar Gupta said the police department is committed to conducting the elections peacefully. He warned that strict legal action would be taken against anyone intimidating voters, creating disturbances or obstructing the election process.
Repolling, if required, will be held on November 2. Vote counting will begin at 8 AM on November 3.