StatesAndhra Pradesh
TDP-led alliance ahead in Andhra parishad count, YSRCP wins one ZPTC so far
By about 1:40 pm the alliance had won 78 ZPTC seats and led in 54 of the 140 with results or trends, and won 1,918 of 2,037 MPTC seats declared, with the TDP also taking Pulivendula, a YSRCP stronghold.
Key points
- The alliance of TDP, Jana Sena and BJP had won 78 ZPTC seats and led in 54 more by about 1:40 pm.
- On the MPTC side it had won 1,918 of 2,037 seats declared, against 87 for the YSRCP.
- The TDP took the Pulivendula ZPTC seat from the YSRCP; full results are expected by evening.
The alliance of the TDP, Jana Sena and BJP was well ahead in Andhra Pradesh’s mandal and zilla parishad count on Saturday afternoon, while the YSRCP, which swept the same polls in 2021, had won a single zilla parishad seat.
By about 1:40 pm, results or trends were in for 140 of the 659 ZPTC seats. The alliance had won 78 and was leading in 54 more. The YSRCP had won one and was ahead in seven. For the 9,821 MPTC seats, 2,037 had been declared, of which the alliance had won 1,918, the YSRCP 87 and others 32.
How much of this is new
The tallies need careful reading. The 77 ZPTC and 2,051 MPTC seats that were won unopposed need no counting, and the totals declared so far are close to those numbers. An early tally from the morning already showed 78 ZPTC and 1,928 MPTC seats with the alliance, so the count of contested seats has barely moved yet. Postal ballots were opened first, and the ballot boxes from 365 centres follow. Officials have said full results are likely by evening.
Polling on November 5 drew a turnout of 70.72%, against 60.91% in 2021. In all, 2,169 candidates are in the fray for 582 ZPTC seats and 18,843 for 7,767 MPTC seats.
A stronghold changes hands
The result drawing most attention so far is from Pulivendula, the home town of YSRCP chief Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy. The TDP has taken the ZPTC seat there, with the winner named as Bharathi. The margin and the YSRCP candidate’s tally were not yet available.
For the YSRCP, the early picture follows its poor showing in the 2024 Assembly election, when it won only three of Kadapa district’s ten seats. The TDP-led alliance has governed the state since then under Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.
What to watch
Two things will show whether the early lead is the full story. One is the share of contested seats the YSRCP manages to win once ballot-box counting gathers pace in districts such as Kadapa. The other is how the three alliance partners split the seats. Jana Sena fielded 109 ZPTC candidates and the BJP 34, against 452 for the TDP.
Counting continues through the evening and the State Election Commission will publish the final seat-wise results once verification is complete.