Nominations begin for MPTC, ZPTC polls in Andhra Pradesh; polling on November 3

The Andhra Pradesh State Election Commission (SEC) has set the local body election process in motion, issuing a notification and guidelines for candidates contesting the upcoming Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituency (MPTC) and Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituency (ZPTC) elections. The filing of nomination papers commenced on Wednesday (October 21, 2026) and will conclude on October 23.

Polling is scheduled for November 3, 2026, between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. If needed, re-polling will be conducted on November 4, while the counting of votes and declaration of results will take place on November 5.

In Visakhapatnam, the election notification for four ZPTC and 53 MPTC seats across Anandapuram, Bheemili, Padmanabham and Pendurthi mandals has been issued. A total of 1,62,407 voters, 79,630 men and 82,777 women, are eligible to participate across 203 polling stations manned by 1,462 staff members and equipped with 480 ballot boxes.

Returning Officer and ZP CEO V. Narayana Murthy said all necessary arrangements, including material dispatch to mandals, had been completed. Election authorities have asked candidates to follow the procedure strictly during the submission process to prevent the rejection of nomination papers. Candidates must submit Form-4, ensuring that Part-B is completely filled out, with no fields left blank.

Applicants must be at least 21 years of age and furnish an age certificate along with original and photocopies of their Aadhaar card, Voter ID card, educational qualification certificates and four passport-sized photographs. Submissions must also include valid residential and caste certificates.

Form-4 also requires a full declaration of assets and liabilities. Candidates must provide non-defaulter certificates from banks, along with no-dues certificates covering village panchayat house taxes, revenue department land cesses and telephone utility dues. A police No-Objection Certificate (NOC) certifying that no criminal cases are pending against the candidate is also mandatory. Nominations require signatures and Aadhaar photocopies from two proposers who are registered voters within the respective segment. Access to the Returning Officer’s hall during submission is limited to the candidate and their two proposers.

The State Election Commission has fixed security deposits based on the candidate’s category and the post contested. Candidates belonging to Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Backward Classes (BC) are required to deposit ₹1,500 for MPTC seats and ₹3,000 for ZPTC seats. General category candidates must pay ₹3,000 for MPTC positions and ₹6,000 for ZPTC positions.

Following the conclusion of nomination filings on October 23, the scrutiny of nomination papers will take place on October 24. Candidates whose nominations are rejected may submit appeals at the Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO) office on October 25, with decisions on these appeals scheduled for announcement by the evening of October 26. The deadline for the withdrawal of candidature is October 27, following which the final list of contesting candidates will be published on the same day.