KADAPA: In a crushing blow to the YSRCP in its strongest bastion, the ruling NDA coalition delivered a historic clean sweep in YSRCP President YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s home constituency of Pulivendula on Tuesday, capturing 64 out of the 65 Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituency (MPTC) seats unanimously.
The unprecedented sweep in Pulivendula anchored a broader, decisive victory across Kadapa district following the official deadline for the withdrawal of nominations for the ongoing local body elections, firmly establishing the coalition’s political ascendancy in the Rayalaseema heartland. With 64 MPTCs bagged uncontested across the seven mandals comprising the Pulivendula Assembly segment, only a single MPTC seat—Alireddypalle in Vempalli mandal—will now go to the polls on November 3.
Furthermore, the alliance secured 3 out of the 7 Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituency (ZPTC) seats in Pulivendula unanimously.
Across the broader Kadapa district, the NDA captured 23 out of 39 ZPTC seats uncontested, with the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) winning 19, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) securing 3, and Jana Sena Party (JSP) taking 1.
Elections will now be conducted for the remaining 16 ZPTC seats. The overwhelming numbers have positioned the NDA to claim the prestigious Kadapa Zilla Parishad Chairperson post for the first time since 1999, effectively dismantling decades of political dominance by the YSR family and the opposition.
The historic shift has triggered intense lobbying within the coalition for the ZP leadership. Former MLC and TDP leader Putta Narasimha Reddy—who was elected unanimously from the Veerapunayunipalle ZPTC seat and whose son Putta Chaitanya Reddy represents Kamalapuram in the Legislative Assembly—has emerged as a frontrunner.
The sweep marks a dramatic reversal from the 2021 rural local body polls, where the YSRCP had won 423 of the 432 uncontested MPTCs and 38 of the 50 ZPTCs in the district.
Former Kadapa Mayor K Suresh Babu heavily criticised the NDA government on Tuesday, alleging that political hooliganism, violence, and administrative intimidation have subverted democratic norms across Andhra Pradesh.
Speaking to TNIE, Suresh Babu condemned the unprecedented manner in which nominations were blocked across Kadapa district, and pointed out that even fully compliant nomination papers were deliberately rejected during midnight scrutiny by arbitrarily removing key pages from checklists.
Terming this a “dangerous new political culture” unseen anywhere else in the country, he held the State Election Commission (SEC) directly responsible for failing to enforce a fair contest while TDP cadres, backed by police personnel, engaged in open goondaism.