VIJAYAWADA: With local body elections expected to be held in the next couple of months, political activity has gained momentum in villages across Andhra Pradesh. Aspirants have already begun groundwork to mobilise public support.
Earlier, elections to a large number of panchayats were unanimous. The upcoming gram panchayat elections are likely to witness a tough contest unlike in the past due to presence of multiple parties in the fray.
Though panchayat polls are officially held without party symbols, political affiliations are expected to play a major role. Aspirants backed by the TDP, YSRCP, Jana Sena and BJP are gearing up for the poll battle.
Notably, the elected gram panchayat bodies in the 2021 elections completed their five-year tenure on April 2, 2026. The State government appointed 5,770 Special Officers to administer 13,096 panchayats until elected bodies are formed.
The previous panchayat elections witnessed several allegations of political pressure, attacks on opposition candidates and electoral malpractices.
The YSRCP claimed 10,382 of the total 13,097 panchayats that went to polls, while TDP bagged 2,063 and BJP-Jana Sena-around 100. Against this backdrop, the forthcoming elections coming two years after the formation of the coalition government assume significance.
Local body poll results likely to hint at mood of people in rural Andhra
Though local elections cannot be directly treated as a referendum on the performance of the NDA government, the results could nevertheless provide an indication of the people’s mood in rural Andhra Pradesh.
Unlike Assembly and Lok Sabha elections, local polls are influenced by personal equations, local development, community considerations, individual popularity and village-level rivalries. For the NDA, the elections will be an opportunity to demonstrate its grassroots strength, while the YSRCP will look to retain and rebuild its rural support base after its electoral debacle.
Aspirants are increasingly turning to WhatsApp groups, Instagram, Facebook and other digital platforms to establish contact with voters. New WhatsApp groups are being created and local issues highlighted well before the official election process begins. The digital outreach is being supplemented by conventional grassroots mobilisation. Aspirants are focusing on strengthening their local networks and mobilising resources.
Among the NDA partners, the Jana Sena appears to be displaying considerable enthusiasm at the grassroots. This could help the party expand its rural base and develop new grassroots leadership. While the Jana Sena is laying greater emphasis on young aspirants, the TDP’s local-level preparations appear more centred around its established political network.
Opportunities for fresh faces may be limited much to the discontent of young TDP aspirants, with some seem to be exploring possibility of contesting independently if denied an opportunity. A major point of interest is the possible understanding among NDA allies over the distribution of seats.
There is still no clear indication about how the TDP, JSP and BJP will coordinate at the grassroots level in the local body polls. Seat-sharing could become particularly difficult in villages where more than one NDA partner has strong aspirants. Any lack of coordination could result in multiple alliance-affiliated candidates entering the contest, potentially affecting the prospects of the alliance-backed candidates, says a political observer.