StatesAndhra Pradesh
Four voters and two poll staff die on Andhra parishad polling day
A teacher on polling duty in Anantapur and a head constable in West Godavari were among six people who died during Thursday's MPTC and ZPTC elections, as voting in five cyclone-hit mandals went on on Friday.
Key points
- Four voters and two polling officials died during Thursday's parishad elections in Andhra Pradesh.
- Assistant polling officer Haritha Goud, a teacher, died after breathing trouble at a booth in Anantapur district.
- Thursday's turnout stands at 67.24%, with votes to be counted on November 7.
Six people died during Andhra Pradesh’s mandal and zilla parishad elections on Thursday, November 5, 2026: four voters and two officials on election duty, according to district accounts gathered on Friday as polling went on in five mandals hit by Cyclone Murasu.
The two officials both collapsed while at work. Haritha Goud, 58, a secondary grade teacher from Rayadurg serving as an assistant polling officer at a booth in Kadadarakunta in Anantapur district, developed breathing trouble in the afternoon. She was taken to the primary health centre in Kudair and died during treatment.
Geddada Namashivaya, 61, a head constable at the Palakollu police station in West Godavari district, was on duty at Chandaparru. He collapsed and died while handing over ballot boxes at the mandal parishad office after polling closed.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan offered condolences over the teacher’s death and promised her family the government’s full support.
Voters who died
Two elderly voters died shortly after casting their ballots: Chitta Tulasi Reddy, 63, of Repudi in Phirangipuram mandal of Guntur district, and Khagga Tirupati Rao, 65, of Vatticherukuru. In Aryapeta in Yalamanchili mandal of West Godavari, Eda David, 50, collapsed near a polling station and died of a heart attack.
Bhaskar Goud, 43, who works in Sangareddy district of Telangana, had travelled home to Chennampalli in Kurnool district’s Tuggali mandal to vote. He was riding a two-wheeler towards Gooty when a car hit an electricity pole, which fell on him and a friend. He died on the spot.
Turnout and Friday’s polling
The State Election Commission has put Thursday’s turnout at 67.24%, or 1,50,84,014 of 2,24,32,460 voters, for 7,767 MPTC and 582 ZPTC seats. On Friday, voting for 5 ZPTC and 60 MPTC seats was under way from 7 am to 5 pm in Gopalapuram in East Godavari and in Buttayagudem, Jeelugumilli, Polavaram and Velerupadu in Eluru district, alongside repolls at seven booths. Votes from across the state will be counted on November 7.