Rural polls to kick off in three districts amid heightened security on November 5

CHITTOOR/MADANAPALLE/PUTTAPARTHI About 31 lakh rural voters across Chittoor, Annamayya and Sri Sathya Sai districts are going to the MPTC/ZPTC elections on November 5 (Thursday). With polling scheduled from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., the three districts remain fully geared up for a crucial grassroots electoral exercise amid heightened security in the backdrop of the region’s political rivalry and past faction feuds.

The three districts have 84 ZPTC and 1,087 MPTC seats across 84 mandals. Chittoor accounts for 27 ZPTC and 370 MPTC seats, with 10.26 lakh voters. Annamayya has 25 ZPTC and 321 MPTC seats and 9.09 lakh voters, while Sri Sathya Sai has 32 ZPTC and 396 MPTC seats with 11.35 lakh voters.

Three ZPTC seats each in Chittoor and Annamayya were reported elected unopposed, leaving 78 ZPTC seats for polling across the region. In 2021, the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) trounced the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and won the Zilla Parishad chairmen posts of combined Chittoor, Anantapur and Kadapa districts.