Amaravati: The Andhra Pradesh State Election Commission has halted, with immediate effect, the ongoing election process for all 100 urban local bodies in the state, throwing the local poll calendar into fresh uncertainty.
The same day, Deputy Chief Minister and Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan drove to Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu's residence. Officials said he arrived alone, without a security detail or convoy. Sources said the two discussed the local elections, the problem of rebels and the fallout of a Supreme Court verdict, and that the postponement of the urban body polls also came up.
In Kadapa district, the political temperature ran high. On the first day of nominations for the ZPTC and MPTC elections, several YSR Congress Party leaders were placed under house arrest as a precaution. They included MLC Ramesh Yadav in Proddatur, MLA Dasari Sudha in Badvel, former MLC S. Satish Reddy at Vempalli and Kamalapuram YSRCP in-charge Naren Reddy.
The Kadapa Zilla Parishad office was ringed by heavy security. When workers from both sides tried to breach the barricades, police had to use mild force.
In the Srikalahasti constituency of Tirupati district, tension was reported in Thottambedu mandal after a motorcycle belonging to a YSRCP candidate was allegedly set on fire. Tirupati MP M. Gurumoorthy condemned the alleged attack and accused the police of siding with rival workers. Former Chandragiri MLA Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy was arrested after staging a protest at the Tirupati Collectorate.
The commission has not yet formally announced its reasons. The delay is expected to force both the ruling side and the opposition to redraw their strategies. Local body elections are seen as a key marker of the state's political direction.