Andhra Pradesh Civic Polls Halted After Supreme Court Steps In Over Blocked Nominations

Andhra Pradesh's municipal elections were put on hold on Thursday, hours after the Supreme Court intervened in a dispute over whether opposition candidates were physically blocked from filing their nomination papers.

The State Election Commission (SEC) ordered that the election process for all 100 urban local bodies in the state "shall be stopped forthwith." The freeze covers 13 municipal corporations and 87 municipalities and nagar panchayats, and it follows directions issued by a Supreme Court vacation bench on Wednesday.

What the court ordered

A bench of Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V. Mohana heard a petition from the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), which alleged that its candidates were obstructed during the nomination process. Senior advocate Maninder Singh, appearing for the party, told the court that almost two thirds of its candidates were prevented from filing.

The bench said the petitioner had made out a prima facie case. It directed the SEC to postpone publication of the final list of candidates, which had been due on Wednesday, until October 25. It also told the commission to examine the representations and electronic evidence filed by the YSRCP and other candidates, and to decide by Thursday, October 22, whether nomination deadlines should be extended in the places where candidates could not file because of the law and order situation. Any extension must run for at least 48 hours from the commission's decision.

The court also directed the state Director General of Police to provide adequate security to candidates and to election offices. "Instilling confidence in the election process is vital for the maintenance of constitutional democracy," the bench said, while adding that constitutional courts do not ordinarily interfere with an election once it is under way.

The commission's response

In its order, the SEC said it would rule on October 22 after receiving reports from district collectors, district election authorities and police chiefs. The commission had earlier put the election in Mydukur municipality on hold on its own, citing apprehensions of violence, a point its counsel raised before the bench.

Political fallout

The ruling Telugu Desam Party said it would comply. "We have the utmost respect for the Supreme Court. Whatever directions the Supreme Court gives, we will abide by them," state TDP president Palla Srinivasa Rao told ANI. He said the decision on extending dates rested with the SEC alone, and noted that the YSRCP had filed a series of cases seeking postponement of the polls without getting relief until now.

The YSRCP filed its writ petition on October 10. The case was heard on October 15, and the party pressed its request for an extension on October 16, four days after the election notification dated October 14. The bench observed that the rules allowed the commission to extend the deadline by up to six days from the notification, so time could have been given earlier.

The halt leaves the timetable for civic polls across the state unsettled until the commission announces its decision on nominations later on Thursday.