Andhra Pradesh SEC halts election process for 100 ULBs after Supreme Court order

Andhra Pradesh State Election Commissioner (SEC) Anil Chandra Punetha has ordered that the election process for all 100 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) for which the notification was issued on October 14 be stopped forthwith in view of the Supreme Court’s directions.

Mr. Punetha, in a late-evening order, said that the SEC would issue an order on the ULB elections after obtaining reports from the Collectors, District Election Authorities and Police Commissioners or Superintendents of Police October 22.

He said the notification for the elections to 13 Municipal Corporations, 87 Municipalities and Nagar Panchayats in the State was issued on October 14 and the nomination process was completed between October 16 to 18, followed by the scrutiny of nominations on October 19.

However, the Supreme Court has directed the SEC to postpone the publication of the final list of candidates for the ULB elections till October 25.

Meanwhile, the SEC was mandated to consider the representations made by the petitioner party (YSRCP) and other candidates, including evidentiary material as well as electronic evidence placed before it and take a decision on the last date for filing nominations wherever it is of the view that candidates were unable to file their nominations due to law and order situation, he said.