StatesAndhra Pradesh
Andhra parishad polls: counting begins at 8 am at 365 centres, first trends by noon
Votes for 7,767 MPTC and 582 ZPTC seats are counted by hand across 28 districts, with postal ballots first and 19,885 police deployed at the centres.
Key points
- Counting of 7,767 MPTC and 582 ZPTC seats starts at 8 am on Saturday at 365 centres.
- Postal ballots are counted first, then the ballot boxes, with MPTC and ZPTC votes kept apart.
- MPTC results are expected by about 3 pm and ZPTC results by about 7 pm.
Counting of votes in Andhra Pradesh’s mandal and zilla parishad elections begins at 8 am on Saturday, November 7, at 365 centres across 28 districts. The State Election Commission will count 7,767 MPTC and 582 ZPTC seats, with the first trends expected around noon.
Polling took place on Thursday, November 5, and, in five mandals cut off by Cyclone Murasu, on Friday. Another 2,128 seats, 2,051 MPTC and 77 ZPTC, were won unopposed and need no count. Final turnout was 70.72%, nearly 10 points above the 60.91% of 2021.
How the count will run
Postal ballots are counted first, starting before 8 am. The ballot boxes are then opened in front of candidates’ agents. MPTC and ZPTC votes were cast on separate paper ballots, pink for MPTC and white for ZPTC, and are counted by hand, which is why the full picture will take most of the day.
The commission has set up 9,062 counting tables, half for ZPTC votes and half for MPTC votes, and each table handles 1,000 ballot papers in a round. A staff of 11,002 supervisors and 28,692 assistants has been assigned, along with other support staff.
Counting day, as expected
- Before 8 amPostal ballots are counted first
- 8 amBallot boxes are opened before candidates' agents
- About noonFirst trends expected
- About 3 pmMPTC results expected
- About 7 pmZPTC results expected
Seat-by-seat results will keep coming into the night. District and mandal figures are due on the commission’s website, sec.ap.gov.in.
Security around the centres
A three-tier arrangement puts 19,885 police personnel at the 365 centres and in the areas around them. Sensitive spots are covered by CCTV, drones and body-worn cameras, and prohibitory orders under Section 144 remain in force. Ballot boxes are being moved from strong rooms to the counting centres under heavy guard.
State Election Commissioner Anil Chandra Punetha said “elaborate arrangements had been made to ensure that counting proceeds smoothly, transparently and peacefully” at all centres.
The run-up has not been calm. The commission ordered fresh polling at seven booths in Anantapur, Kurnool, Srikakulam, Markapuram and Palnadu after reports of booth capturing and destroyed ballot boxes. That repolling on Friday concluded peacefully.
What comes after the count
The results decide which parties control the mandal and zilla parishads, but the offices themselves are filled later. Elections for mandal parishad presidents and zilla parishad chairpersons follow on November 11 and 12.