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Updated - November 03, 2026 09:28 pm IST - CHITTOOR/MADANAPALLE/PUTTAPARTHI

Newly-elected mayor of Chittoor, Katari Hemalatha, displaying her Certificate of Election, on Tuesday. | Photo Credit: BY ARRANGEMENT

The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and its allies made remarkable gains in the urban local bodies (ULBs) in Chittoor, Annamayya, and Sri Sathya Sai districts, with unopposed victories and leads after counting, marking a notable shift in the region’s local political landscape.

The results carry added significance against the backdrop of the political rivalry between Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and senior YSRCP leader Peddireddi Ramachandra Reddy, whose influence has shaped the region’s electoral politics for years.

The three districts together account for 12 municipalities.

In Chittoor district, the TDP secured Punganur and Nagari unopposed in the chairperson elections. Punganur witnessed a vast majority of unanimous ward victories, with the TDP winning 27 of the 32 wards unopposed. The Jana Sena Party (JSP) and BJP secured two wards each, while an NDA-backed Independent won one. The TDP also won Kuppam and Palamaner ULBs, sweeping the wards.

In Annamayya district, the TDP secured an unopposed victory in Rayachoti, winning all 44 wards and the chairperson’s post with no elections being held. However, Madanapalle municipality went to counting, where the ruling alliance swept the elections.

In Sri Sathya Sai district, the six municipalities — Hindupur, Dharmavaram, Kadiri, Puttaparthi, Penukonda and Madakasira — witnessed electoral contests. Establishing early leads, the NDA alliance, dominated by the TDP, won all six ULBs.

The contrast with the 2021 municipal elections is politically significant, as the YSRCP had then dominated the urban landscape across Andhra Pradesh, winning 2,556 ward seats in 100 urban local bodies against the TDP’s 429. In Punganur, the YSRCP had won all 31 wards, while it secured 33 of Madanapalle’s 35 wards. The latest results indicate a change in the political balance in several of these constituencies.

Superintendent of Police S. Satish Kumar inspecting security arrangements at a counting centre in Penukonda in Sri Sathya Sai district on Tuesday. | Photo Credit: BY ARRANGEMENT

The nomination phase was marred by tensions and violence in Punganur and Rayachoti, including attacks on vehicles. Later, elaborate police deployment ensured largely peaceful elections on November 1 and during the counting on Tuesday.

In Kuppam, arguments between TDP and YSRCP cadres over alleged irregularities in three wards briefly created tension, but police intervened before the situation escalated.

Published - November 03, 2026 07:44 pm IST

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