AP SEC Announces Indirect Elections for 659 Mandal Parishads, 28 ZPs on November 19, 20

The Andhra Pradesh State Election Commission has announced the schedule for electing presidents and vice-presidents of Mandal Parishads and chairpersons and vice-chairpersons of Zilla Parishads through an indirect voting process. The elections will be conducted across 659 Mandal Parishads and 28 Zilla Parishads in the state, with polling scheduled for November 19 and 20. State Election Commissioner Anil Chandra Punetha announced the details on Tuesday.

As per the schedule, elections to the posts of Mandal Parishad Presidents (MPP) and Vice-Presidents will take place on November 19, followed by elections to Zilla Parishad chairpersons and vice-chairpersons on November 20. Special meetings will be convened for the elected Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituency (MPTC) and Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituency (ZPTC) members to elect their respective leaders. Notices for these meetings will be issued by November 14.

The announcement follows the completion of the MPTC and ZPTC elections held earlier this month. Polling took place on November 5 across the state, while voting in one mandal in East Godavari district and four mandals in Eluru district was postponed to November 6 due to cyclone-related disruptions. Repolling was also conducted at seven polling stations in five districts following complaints of electoral irregularities. Counting of votes was completed on November 7, and the results were subsequently declared.

Before electing the presidents and vice-presidents of Mandal Parishads and the chairpersons and vice-chairpersons of Zilla Parishads, the respective local bodies must first complete the selection of co-opted members. Each Mandal Parishad will have one co-opted member, while every Zilla Parishad will elect two.

These positions are reserved for eligible individuals belonging to religious or linguistic minority communities. Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Zoroastrians (Parsis) are recognised as religious minorities. Those whose mother tongue is a language other than Telugu qualify as linguistic minorities under the prescribed criteria.

The leadership elections will be conducted through a show-of-hands voting system, making compliance with party instructions mandatory for members of recognised political parties. The party whip will apply to elections for MPP and ZP leadership positions but will not extend to the selection of co-opted members.

MPs, MLCs and MLAs serving as ex-officio members of the respective local bodies will receive invitations to attend the special meetings. However, they will not have voting rights in the indirect elections. The State Election Commission has issued detailed guidelines to ensure the process is conducted transparently and in an orderly manner.